A New Strain of Tobacco Mosai Virus Infecting Rakkyo(Allium chinense G. Don).

A strain of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was isolated from rakkyo plants in Miyazaki Prefecture. This strain was distinguished by reactions on host plants from other strains of TMV occurring in Japan. It systemically infected four Allium species, but did not infect three tomato cultivars tested. In most of the tobacco species or cultivars tested, the symptoms induced by this strain were similar to those by TMV-OM, but the strain did not systemically infect a tobacco cultivar Bright Yellow, and multiplied only in the inoculated leaf without causing any symptoms. Although this strain is similar to TMV-OM in morphology, physical properties and mobility of the coat protein or RNA by electrophoresis, it is serologically discernible from TMV-OM, TMV-L and TMV-P through Ouchterlony agar double diffusion test, intragel cross absorption test in agar gel and DAS-ELISA. These results indicate a new strain of TMV, and the name rakkyo strain (TMV-R) of TMV is hereby proposed.