First Report of Occurrence of Potato Tuber Necrotic Ringspot Disease in Greece

Abstract

Potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), caused by potato Y potyvirus isolate NTN (PVYNTN) of the N virus strain group, was first described in Hungary in 1980. It has spread throughout Europe, with the most recent reports from Portugal and Italy in 1997 to 1998 (1). Superficial necrotic ringspot areas on tubers, typical of PTNRD, were first observed in commercial potato fields of the Nevrokopi region in northern Greece in 1994. Affected cultivars included Timate and, to a lesser extent Spunta, the original seed of which came from the Netherlands. PVY was identified from all tubers tested by indexing on Nicotiana tabacum and subsequent testing of the plants by double antibody sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). The potato seed lots were rejected by the local authorities. PTNRD reappeared in the same area in 1998 in a more aggressive manner. Cultivar Hermes, imported from Scotland, was most affected, with very severe symptoms in 80% of the tubers. Symptoms appeared in early September, 40 days after defoliation of the plants. Other cultivars were affected at lower rates; cv. Spunta showed typical symptoms and cvs. Fabola, Santana, and Irvila exhibited atypical cracks and blisters. In all cases, PVY was isolated in N. tabacum and its presence confirmed by DAS-ELISA. Immunocapture-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with specific PVYNTN primers (2) detected the characteristic 835-bp product in all cultivars tested. The incidence of PTNRD seems to be expanding in northern Greece, where it has become a threat to potato production. PTNRD symptoms were also observed in southern Greece (Ahaia) in experimental “crossing” fields of seed stocks. In this case, the disease seems to have spread especially in cv. Marfona. References: (1) L. Tomassoli et al. Plant Dis. 82:350, 1998. (2) H. L. Wiedemann and E. Maiss. Z. Pflanzenkrankh. Pflanzenschutz 103:337, 1996.

Incidence of potato viruses and characterisation of Potato virus Y variability in late season planted potato crops in Northern Tunisia

“…to the presence of necrotic lesions on tubers making them unmarketable for export, fortunately only on cv Monalisa which is not widely cultivated (BoukhrisBouhachem et al 2008). Recent outbreaks of this disease in the last twelve years have occurred in France (Crouau and Gokelaere 1997), Italy (Tomassoli and Lumia 1998), Greece (Bem and Varveri 1999), Japan (Ohshima et al 2000), Peru (Salazar et al 2000), USA and Canada (Crosslin et al 2002).…”

Potato cv. Romano reaction to primary and secondary infection with potato necrotic strain Y virus (PVYNTN)

“…PVY NTN , the causal agent of potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease, was detected in a number of European countries in the 1980s (Beczner et al, 1984;Schiessendoppler, 1990;Schiessendoppler & Rauscher, 1999;McDonalds & Singh, 1993;Bem et al, 1999). First symptoms were detected on the Monalisa cultivar in Hungary (Beczner et al, 1984), then in other regions of Europe (Bem et al, 1999;Blanco-Urgoiti et al, 1998;Buturović & Kus, 1989;Kus, 1995;le Romancer & Nedellec, 1997;Serra & Weidemann, 1997), and finally spread worldwide -in North and South America (McDonald & Singh, 1996;Salazar et al, 2000), New Zeland * (Hay, et al, 1989) and Japan (Ohshima et al, 2000).…”

Census Report of the Potato Virus Y (PVY) Population in Swiss Seed Potato Production in 2003 and 2008

“…For long, isolates of PVY have been assigned to three major groups, PVY O , PVY N and PVY C , defined by the symptoms they induce on Nicotiana tabacum and Solanum tuberosum cultivars (De Bokx and Huttinga 1981;Singh et al 2008). While PVY O occurs worldwide (Rolland et al 2008), PVY N has first been recorded in Europe, South America, Africa, Asia and India (Crouau and Gokelaere 1996;Bem and Varveri 1999;Salazar et al 2000). Among the PVY N group, subgroups have been identified: (1) PVY N -Wi (Chrzanowska 1994) and PVY N:O (Nie and Singh 2002) that have a PVY N pathotype but a PVY O serotype and (2) PVY NTN commonly associated with destructive potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) on susceptible cultivars (Beczner et al 1984).…”