Occurrence and Some Properties of Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus in Rubus Species in The United States

Two berry fruit virus diseases newly recorded in New Zealand

“…Murant et al (1974) reported that the virus did not appear to cause obvious leaf symptoms, but could be responsible for a crumbly berry condition of the fruit. The same virus has been reported to be widespread in raspberries in the United States (Converse 1973) and Canada (Murant 1976). …”

Source ofRaspberry bushy dwarf virusinRubusin New Zealand, and the infectibility of some newer cultivars to this virus

“…In 1965, 'Canby', along with several other Rubus imports held in plant quarantine, was graft-inoculated to indicator plants of black raspberry (R. occidentalis L.), probably cultivar 'Munger' (HortResearch Plant Quarantine records). No virus symptoms were detected on 'Munger' after several months of observation, but this indicator is unlikely to have shown foliage symptoms of RBDV (Converse 1973).…”

“…Observations of red raspberry plants infected with RBDV in northern hemisphere countries generally indicates occasional, few or no leaf yellowing symptoms (Barnett & Murant 1970;Converse 1973;Daubeny et al 1978;Jones et al 1982;Jones 1986). Why the leaf yellows symptom of the virus should be so pronounced in New Zealand is uncertain.…”

“…The most likely contender for this would be 'Canby', produced from a cross of 'Viking' and'Lloyd George' in 1953 (Jennings 1988), and imported from Maryland, United States in 1965, released to its New Zealand importer in 1966, and subsequently distributed commercially. Overseas investigations have shown that plants of 'Canby' indexed positive for RBDV in British Columbia, Germany, Oregon, and Scotland, and it is thought that in the 1950s and 1960s all plants of 'Canby' may have been RBDV infected (Cadman 1970;Converse 1973;Daubeny et al 1978;Murant 1987), probably by seed transmission from its 'Lloyd George' parent. The release of 'Canby' from plant quarantine in 1966, and the first known observation of leaf yellows in red raspberry plantings in 1973, suggests this cultivar to have been the most likely source of New Zealand RBDV infection.…”

New host for raspberry bushy dwarf virus: arctic bramble (Rubus arcticus)

“…No vector is known (Murant, 1976). RBDV is mechanically transmissible to a range of herbaceous host plants, but it has been found naturally only in Rubus species: red raspberry (Rubus idaeus), black raspberry (R. occidentalis), loganberry (R. ursinus x R. idaeus) and boysenberry [(R. ursinus • R. idaeus) • (R. baileyanus • R. argutus)] (Legg, 1960;Barnett and Murant, 1970;Converse, 1973).…”