Projects / Programmes
The role of nematode xiphinema rivesi dalmasso, 1969 for transmission of nepoviruses
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 4.03.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Plant production |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B390 |
Biomedical sciences |
Phytotechny, horticulture, crop protection, phytopathology |
Xiphinema rivesi, nepoviruses, virus transmission, nematopopulation, molecular tools
Researchers (6)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Virus transmitting nematodes are plant parasitic pests which cause direct and indirect economical damage. Direct damage of nematode feeding on host-plant roots is rather small comparing to the indirect damage of virus transmission. Nepoviruses which are able to infect wild plants in the first place may cause considerable economical harm on fruit trees and grapevine. In some cases they are able to cause the decline of entire fruit trees. The plant-to-plant transmission of nepoviruses can occur at seed and pollen transmission, and at grafting or mechanical inoculation. The most important role in nepovirus transmission is played by vectors, i.e. nematodes from Xiphinema genus. Xiphinema nematodes are known to be distributed deeply in the soil (2 - 3 meters) and are considered to be distinctly polyphagous organisms, which makes them difficult to eradicate.
Xiphinema rivesi is a known vector of four economically important American nepoviruses included in the I/A1 Slovene and EU list of quarantine pests: cherry rasp leaf virus (CRLV), tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV), tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) and peach rosette mosaic virus (PRMV). Most economical losses in North America are caused by ToRSV and TRSV which are the most widely spread there. It is discovered that the ability to transmit a virus may vary among different populations of the same nematode species.
X. rivesi has been detected in Europe four times and it is estimated that in all these cases nematodes have been introduced from North America. In 2002, X. rivesi nematodes were detected in soil samples taken in the Vipava valley. Furthermore, the nematode was also detected in a 30 years old peach orchard which indicates its longer presence and a high chance for the presence of nepoviruses in this part of Slovenia.
In the frame of our research project we will try to determine origin of the Slovene X. rivesi population using molecular tools. We will also try to develop a molecular method RT-PCR and/or real-time PCR for detection of nepoviruses in X. rivesi vector nematodes and to asses the transmission ability of some nepoviruses from the Slovene X. rivesi population.
