Vol. 7, Issue 4 (2018)

Author(s):
Abhilasha Sharma, Anil Handa, Bunty Shylla and Shelly Kapoor

Abstract:
Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne), a member of the Rosaceae family, is infected by wide range fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens. Unlike fungal and bacterial pathogens that express typical symptoms on strawberry leaves and fruits, the presence of viruses in strawberry is quite distinct as they remain largely symptomless or the symptoms produced are often similar to those resulting from nutritional deficiencies. Such plants are symptomless carriers of viruses that spread with vegetatively propagated plant material or could be vectored by insects, mites, nematodes, fungi and seeds. Multiple virus infections are frequently encountered in strawberry and may cause a drastic reduction in yield and vigour. Thorough regular screening of strawberry germplasm revealed the presence of a new Ilarvirus, Tobacco streak virus (TSV) which was not reported earlier in strawberry from India. Keeping in view the importance of this new Ilarvirus in India, the present studies were conducted to establish the exact identity of the virus on the basis of DAS-ELISA tests conducted for the detection of the causal virus. On the basis of results obtained in DAS-ELISA, it can be concluded that majority of the virus isolates collected and subjected to ELISA confirmed the presence of TSV in strawberry. This is the first report of TSV infecting strawberry in India.