Transmission of prunus necrotic ringspot virus using plum pollen and thrips

Abstract

Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) was transmitted to cucumber but not to peach seedlings after they were dusted with infective plum pollen and caged with 8 -10 thrips per seedling for 24 h. When the pollen was taken from three plum trees shown by mechanical inoculation tests to have highly infective flower buds and pollen, the transmission rates to cucumber seedlings were 56% with Thrips tabaci and 66% with a mixture of five thrips species collected from Ageratum houstonianurn flowers. However, the transmission rate averaged only 7% when pollen was taken from five other plum trees which had flowers with less infectivity in sap transmission tests. In 1990 T . imaginis, T. tabaci and T. australis, which were present in the mixture of thrips from A . houstonianum, also formed the major part of the thrips population in flowers of the plum trees used as the pollen source.

Elimination of PPV and PNRSV through thermotherapy and meristem-tip culture in nectarine

“…Both viruses are spread rapidly to neighboring plants (Greber et al 1991;Uyemoto et al 1992;Herrera et al 1998). Field monitoring has shown that in peach orchards in the area of Naoussa (northern Greece), nearly all trees were PPVinfected, while a significant percentage of them were also PNRSV-infected (48%) (Varveri and Bem 1995).…”

No transmission of Potato spindle tuber viroid shown in experiments with thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis, Thrips tabaci), honey bees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus terrestris)

“…However, feeding punctures and faeces could be observed on the PSTVd-infected leaves after the release of T. tabaci and F. occidentalis. Giving the thrips access to feed on pollen and/or PSTVd-infected or non-infected plant material did not contribute to viroid transmission as recorded for transmission of pollen-associated ilarvirus by T. tabaci (Sdoodee and Teakle 1987;Greber et al 1991).…”

“…Till now no investigations of the possible role of thrips and Apis mellifera as vectors for PSTVd or other pospiviroids have been published. Thrips are well-known virus vectors, especially for tospoviruses (German et al 1992) and ilarviruses Teakle 1987, 1993;Greber et al 1991). The polyphagous species (Lewis 1997) Thrips tabaci and Frankliniella occidentalis are of particular interest in a European context.…”

Ilarviruses and the Importance of Certified Elite Planting Material in Apple Production System - An Overview

“…Thrips were used to test the transmission of PNRSV to cucumber and peach seedlings using thrips as vector by applying the infected plum pollen onto cucumber and peach seedlings (Greber et al, 1991. It was found that Fifty six percent of virus was transmissible on to both seedlings with Thrips tabaci and sixty six percent with a mixture of five thrips species when pollen were taken from highly infected flower buds whereas only 7 percent transmission rate was reported when pollen was taken from flowers with less infectivity.…”