STUDIES REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION OF POTATO VIRUS Y (PVY) TROUGH SEVERAL MECHANICAL MEANS

Abstract

The aim of this studies was to investigate the transmission of PVY strains PVYo, PVYN, PVYNTN, via tuber cutting and plant treated in susceptible cultivars. For the tuber cutting experiment, after one infected tuber was cut with a knife, four uninfected tubers were cut sequentially with the same instrument without disinfecting it between the cuts. In the other experiments, the virus transmission from infected to healthy plants was made by bouncing, brushing, hammering, squeezing and carborundum rubbing treatments. These treatments allowed exchange of sap between the healthy and infected material. Results revelead that seed cutting did not transmit the pathogen, whereas the other plant treatments caused varying level of PVY transmission, depending on the experiments variant. Plant bouncing was the least effective whereas hammering was the most effective variant.