ISHS Acta Horticulturae 234: VII International Symposium on Virus Diseases of Ornamental Plants
DETECTION OF VIRUSES IN GLADIOLI CORMS |
| Authors: | A. Stein, S. Levy, G. Loebenstein |
| Abstract:
Reliable detection of viruses in corms and bulbs is of major importance, so that stocks can be evaluated before planting and rejected if necessary. Improvement in detection of viruses in plants can be achieved by increasing the sensitivity of the diagnostic method and/or by stimulating the tissue to support maximal virus or viral protein content. CMV can be easily detected in gladiolus corms by ELISA or ISEM, the reliability of detection in corms being 20–80% higher than in leaf samples. Corm extracts could, under some conditions, facilitate serological detection in other organs and species. On the other hand BYMV was not detected in corms and cormels, while easily detected in leaves. Corm extracts were found to interfere with the serological detection of BYMV in gladioli leaves. No virus particles could be recovered from the corms unless cuts were made in the corms before testing. In several gladioli cultivars, cuts in corms enabled reliable determination of BYMV. The mechanisms involved in inducing detectable virus antigen by injuring the corm tissue, as well as the relevance to other virus-tissue combinations, are presently being studied. | |
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