Transmission of nepoviruses by Xiphinema spp.
A joint Scottish, Canadian and American research project was carried out to determine the specificity in transmission of North American nepoviruses by Xiphinema nematodes. It was reported at the 6th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Montreal, that the earlier belief in a high specificity between nepoviruses and their nematode vectors must be considered incorrect since the recent studies on three unrelated nepoviruses from N. America have indicated a comparative lack of specificity in their transmission by nematodes.
Thus populations of X. americanum (EPPO A1 quarantine pest) from Arkansas, California and Pennsylvania, X. californicum from California and X. rivesi from Pennsylvania, each transmitted tomato ringspot nepovirus (EPPO A2 quarantine pest), tobacco ringspot nepovirus and cherry rasp leaf nepovirus (EPPO A1 quarantine pest). Furthermore a population of X. bricolensis from a raspberry plantation in Washington State was found naturally transmitting at least three different serotypes of tomato ringspot nepovirus.
Sources
Jones, A.T.; Brown, D.J.F.; Vrain, T.C.; Halbrendt, J.M.; Robbins, R.T. (1993) Apparent lack of specificity in transmission of North American nepoviruses by Xiphinema nematodes.
Presentation at the 6th International Congress of Plant Pathology, Montreal, CA, 1993-07/08-27/06.