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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Griffin, Georgia » Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #85516
Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF A SEEDBORNE STRAIN OF CUCUMBER MOSAIC CUCUMOVIRUS FROM COWPEA

Author
item Gillaspie, Athey - Graves
item HAJIMORAD, M. - UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
item GHABRIAL, S. - UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: A new seedborne strain of cucumber mosaic virus that causes severe symptoms on many cowpea lines was detected in Georgia in 1994. The virus is important because of the even more severe symptoms and potential losses it could cause when infecting cowpea plants also infected with blackeye cowpea mosaic virus. The new virus was characterized based upon its serological relationships, its potential seed transmission in cowpeas, and various characteristics of its nucleic acid. The serological results and the nucleic acid relationships place it in subgroup I of cucumber mosaic virus with seed transmission ranging up to 37%. These findings indicate that the virus is an important potential threat to cowpea crops which could be distributed in seed distributions if scientists are not vigilant. The information will be useful to scientists and users in the Germplasm System and to regulatory agencies so that the producers and ultimately the consumers are protected from losses in production and increases in costs.

Technical Abstract: A new seedborne strain of cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) that induces severe symptoms on many cowpea genotypes was detected in Georgia in 1994. This strain, designated CMV-Csb, is asymptomatic on tobacco, but produces more severe cowpea stunt symptoms when present in combination with blackeye cowpea mosaic potyvirus than do the more prevalent CMV isolates. The new strain is seedborne in cowpea (1.5-37%), has no associated satellite RNA, and is classified as a member of CMV subgroup I strains based on nucleic acid hybridization assays.