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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Plant Pathology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #353072
Research Project: Mitigating High Consequence Domestic, Exotic, and Emerging Diseases of Fruits, Vegetables, and Ornamentals

Location: Subtropical Plant Pathology Research

Title: First report of Cactus virus X in Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit) in Florida

Author
item GAZIS, ROMINA - University Of Florida
item POUDEL, BINDU - University Of Florida
item DEY, KISHORE - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item ZHANG, SHOUAN - University Of Florida
item PALMATEER, AARON - University Of Florida
item CAMPOVERDE, VANESSA - University Of Florida
item BAKER, CARLYE - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item Adkins, Scott

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/2018
Publication Date: 11/21/2018
Citation: Gazis, R., Poudel, B., Dey, K.K., Zhang, S., Palmateer, A., Campoverde, V.E., Baker, C.A., Adkins, S.T. 2018. First report of Cactus virus X in Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit) in Florida. Plant Disease. 102:2666. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-05-18-0725-PDN.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-05-18-0725-PDN

Interpretive Summary: This is the first Florida report of Cactus virus X infecting dragon fruit, a crop of increasing importance in the state. A description of the symptoms caused and diagnostic methods are included. This report provides a timely account of this virus and its potential to cause economic losses in cactus crops to growers, Extension personnel and state and Federal regulatory and research scientists.

Technical Abstract: Stem symptoms suggestive of virus infection were recently observed on the cactus crop dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) in Florida. Symptoms included irregular chlorotic spots, pale yellow-green mosaic and deformed spines. Electron microscopy revealed flexuous rod shaped virus particles typical of potexviruses. Several sets of degenerate potexvirus primers amplified products of the expected size by RT-PCR. Sequences of these amplicons were highly identical to Cactus virus X. This virus was detected in multiple dragon fruit plant samples from 2010 through 2018.