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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338902
Title: Incidence of viruses in fescue (Festuca sp.) seed production fields in the Willamette Valley in 2016

Author
item Gilmore, Barbara
item Martin, Ruth
item Dombrowski, James
item Martin, Robert
item Mosier, Nola
item BERGER, MICHAEL - Ampac Seed Company

Submitted to: Seed Production Research at Oregon State University
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/18/2017
Publication Date: 7/18/2017
Citation: Gilmore, B.S., Martin, R.C., Dombrowski, J.E., Martin, R.R., Mosier, N.J., Berger, M.C. 2017. Incidence of viruses in fescue (Festuca sp.) seed production fields in the Willamette Valley in 2016. Seed Production Research at Oregon State University. 153:5-8.

Interpretive Summary: Tall Fescue seed production fields of Western Oregon were sampled and tested for the presence or absence of three viruses, Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) -MAV and -PAV, and Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV). There was no BYDV-MAV detected in any of the Fescue seed fields. The BYDV-PAV occurred in 94% and CYDV occurred in 88 percent of the 16 Fescue grass fields tested in 2016. Within these fields, 73 and 66% of the infected fields had a severe level of infection (greater or equal to 6 positive plants out of 15 tested) for BYDV-PAV and CYDV-RPV, respectively. Previous reports suggested that fescue plants are asymptomatic when infected with BYDV and CYDV. In this study, there was a higher preponderance of positive samples for these two viruses when samples were selected based on symptoms (thinning of stand or yellowing) in some of the fields, but this was not consistent over all fields. To determine if there is germplasm with resistance to BYDV, a virus trial with 101 different grass varieties including ~ 25 of each; tall fescue, fine fescue, orchardgrass, festololium, and perennial ryegrass was initiated in fall 2016.

Technical Abstract: Tall Fescue seed production fields of Western Oregon were sampled and tested for the presence or absence of three viruses, Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) -MAV and -PAV, and Cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV). There was no BYDV-MAV detected in any of the Fescue seed fields. The BYDV-PAV occurred in 94% and CYDV occurred in 88 percent of the 16 Fescue grass fields tested in 2016. Within these fields, 73 and 66% of the infected fields had a severe level of infection (greater or equal to 6 positive plants out of 15 tested) for BYDV-PAV and CYDV-RPV, respectively. Previous reports suggested that fescue plants are asymptomatic when infected with BYDV and CYDV. In this study, there was a higher preponderance of positive samples for these two viruses when samples were selected based on symptoms (thinning of stand or yellowing) in some of the fields, but this was not consistent over all fields. Since these viruses are prevalent in the valley, a virus trial with 101 different grass varieties including ~ 25 of each; tall fescue, fine fescue, orchardgrass, festololium, and perennial ryegrass was initiated in fall 2016 to determine if there is any genetic resistance to.