Archivio Journal of Plant Pathology

Abstract:

Eggplant mottled dwarf virus (EMDV) was detected for the first time in southern Italy in several Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. plants with vein yellowing. The virus was identified by the reactions of a herbaceous host range, cytopathology and serology. Virions were observed only in the nuclei of infected cells where they accumulated between the inner and outer lamella of the nuclear envelope. The virus was identified by an antiserum to a potato isolate of EMDV both in immunoelectron microscopy tests and in leaf sap with indirect ELISA. A limited survey revealed that EMDV occurs in naturally infected hibiscus in Campania, Calabria and Sicily (southern Italy). Some aspects of the epidemiology of EMDV are briefly discussed.