Archivio Journal of Plant Pathology

Abstract:

Citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV), the type species of the putative new genus Citrivirus, causes a bud union disorder of Nagami kumquat and Calamondin scions grafted on trifoliate rootstocks. This virus was successfully transmitted to Nicotiana cavicola using leaf extracts of infected Nagami kumquat and Etrog citron, thus widening its herbaceous host range. The infection was latent but confirmed by the positive response of RTPCR using virus-specific primers and by electron microscopy. The positive transmission of CLBV to N. cavicola should in principle facilitate laboratory investigations, as it provides a new source of virus alternative to and more manageable than citrus.