Mild strain of potato spindle tuber viroid detected in India
In India a new mild strain of potato spindle tuber viroid (EPPO A2 organism) has been isolated from four wild Solanum spp. which were maintained at the Central Potato Research Institute of Simla, India. The infected plants showed disease symptoms which included stunting, leaf crinkling and severe veinal necrosis.
Inoculation of Lycopersicon esculentum with the infectious agent produced symptoms which were indistinguishable from those produced by a mild strain of potato spindle tuber viroid. Further analyses by return-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (R-PAGE) showed that the isolated strain was identical compared to a mild strain obtained from North America.
Sources
Owens, R.A.; Khurana, S.M.P.; Smith, D.R.; Singh, M.N.; Garg, I. (1992) A new mild strain of potato spindle tuber viroid isolated from wild Solanum spp. in India.
Plant Disease Reporter 76, 527-529.