Two unrelated viruses which cause woodiness of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims)

Abstract

In Victoria cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) has been shown to be the cause of the woodiness disease of Passifloua edulis. This virus causes a slow decline of infected P. edulis seedlings, and a more rapid decline of vines grafted onto P. caerulea rootstocks.

In Queensland a similar disease of passion fruit also occurs. The Queensland disease was shown to be caused by a virus which differed markedly from CMV, This virus, which is designated herein as passion fruit woodiness virus (PWV), has flexuous rod-shaped particles about 670 mµ in length. PWV was shown to be stylet-borne by the aphid Myzus persicae and to be transmitted to Phaseolus vulgaris and Sesbania exaltata by sap inoculation. The physical properties of PWV were determined, and two isolates of the virus were purified and antisera prepared against them.