VECTOR AND HOST RELATIONS OF NORTH AMERICAN WHEAT STRIATE MOSAIC VIRUS

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Abstract
Wheat striate mosaic virus from wheat in southeastern Saskatchewan was acquired and transmitted by both nymphs and adults of the leafhopper Endria inimica (Say) collected in Ontario. The preinfective period of leafhoppers varied from 4–6 to 22–24 days after they first fed on diseased plants. Records of serial transmission by individual insects varied greatly. Some insects infected most test plants on which they were given 2-day feeds during 20 to 30 days after the preinfective period, but subsequently they transmitted irregularly. Some transmitted virus for only a few days. Others transmitted intermittently for several weeks. None of the insects infected any plants on which they fed later than 72 days after feeding on diseased plants even though some lived another 10 to 20 days. Two of 25 insects became infective after feeds as short as 30 seconds on diseased plants, but the percentages of infective insects increased to more than 90% as acquisition access times were increased to 2 or more days. All insects from some inbred lines became infective after 3 days on diseased plants, but 45% of the descendants of one non-transmitting female failed to become infective. The inoculation threshold period on Ramsey wheat test plants was 15 minutes, but the percentage of test plants infected increased from 15% to 88.8% as the test access times were increased to 4 days. The incubation period of the virus in Ramsey wheat seedlings varied from 6 to more than 28 days.In tests of host reactions, all durum wheat varieties were highly susceptible to the virus. Several of the hard red spring and winter wheat varieties were highly susceptible and a few others were highly resistant or immune, but most were mildly to moderately susceptible. Most varieties of oats and barley and 10 species of wild annual grasses were moderately susceptible. Mild to moderate symptoms also developed on some of the plants in one or more varieties of Zea mays L., Lolium multiflorum Lam., L. perenne L., and Bromus inermis Leyss. Four varieties of rye tested did not develop symptoms, nor did any plants in 13 species of perennial grasses, including Chloris gayana Kunth, which is susceptible to the Australian wheat striate mosaic virus. E. inimica multiplied on wheat and 14 other annual and 21 perennial grass species, many of which are common on the prairies. There was considerable variation in the reactions to the virus of different plants in the variety Ramsey, but there were no inherent variations detected between the virus isolates used for the experiments. The wheat varieties Cappelle-Desprez and Rescue which are highly susceptible to the European type of wheat striate mosaic virus did not become infected with the Canadian isolates tested.Attempts to transmit the European type of wheat striate mosaic virus with E. inimica failed.