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Tomato virus transmitted via seeds |
Research results show that the tomato disease caused by Pepino mosaic virus can be transmitted from tomato seeds to tomato plants. The result is lower yield and discoloured tomatoes.
The juicy tomato season is rapidly approaching. Salad bowls will be filled up with the scrumptious fruits from the greenhouses of professional growers and private vegetable gardens. If all goes well, the tomatoes will be round and red and carry the fragrance of summer sun.
However, problems can arise. A tomato plant infected with the virus Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) can develop leaf puckering and fruits with a marbled appearance. And what is even worse: lower yields.
Together with partners from 16 other European countries, scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF) at the University of Aarhus are participating in the EU project PEPEIRA, which is addressing the problem of PepMV from several angles. The scientists from DJF are investigating if the virus infection can be transmitted through tomato seeds.
"There has been some uncertainty whether PepMV is seed transmitted and, if so, what the rate of transmission is. Therefore, in collaboration with nine other countries, we have carried out very extensive studies on seed transmission", says Head of Research Unit Steen Lykke Nielsen from the Department of Integrated Pest Management at DJF.
When this scientist says “extensive”, he is not exaggerating. 100,000 tomato seeds were harvested from PepMV-infected plants in a Belgian greenhouse trial. The seeds germinated and grew into the 87,870 tomato seedlings that were included in the study. The suspicions regarding virus transmission from seed to green plant were confirmed.
"The results show clearly that seed transmission of PepMV can occur, even though it is at a very low level. The study also shows that using seeds harvested from PepMV-infected tomato plants carries a risk of ending up with PepMV-infected seedlings", Steen Lykke Nielsen says.
The seeds were harvested using a procedure approved by the International Seed Health Initiative including treatment with acid and enzymes. The virus inoculum came from a commercial tomato crop that was naturally infected with two different strains of PepMV, namely the European tomato strain and the Chili2 strain. The seeds were distributed to ten partners in the PEPEIRA consortium from ten different countries.
The seeds were sown and grown in small plots of ten plants each in greenhouses or plastic tunnels. Four to five weeks after germination the scientists harvested leaf samples from the seedlings. Leaves from the ten plants in each plot were pooled in one sample and analysed for the presence of PepMV.
It was shown that the tomato plants´ seeds became more and more infectious with time after infection of the mother plant. Seeds harvested eight weeks after the mother plant was infected with PepMV resulted in a seed transmission rate of 0.005 percent, while seeds harvested 15 weeks after infection with PepMV had a transmission rate that was approximately ten times as high, namely 0.057 percent.
"This conclusive indication of seed transmission of PepMV, although at a low level, will be included in the risk assessment of PepMV and be one of PEPEIRA´s main outcomes. The results will be used in future evaluations by EU plant health authorities on how to control PepMV infection", says Steen Lykke Nielsen.
Facts about PEPEIRA
PEPEIRA is a research project in EU´s 6th framework programme. The aim is to develop an EU-wide Pest Risk Assessment (PRA) for Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) in the tomato. The project studies the epidemiology and economic impact of PepMV in order to provide a robust and scientifically sound assessment of the risk that PepMV poses to the European tomato industry.
PEPEIRA is a collaborative project between 20 laboratories and institutes working with plant health from 17 European countries.
Published 05/07/2008
Source: Univ. of Aarhus Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
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