| Abstract: | A mosaic disease of Johnsongrass characterized by the presence of short and long chlorotic stripes in leaves and stunting of plants was found in two locations about 300 km apart in the Fars Province of Iran. The disease occurred in patches or along the irrigation ditches. The disease agent could not be transmitted mechanically or by certain insects and mites. About 0.5% of the seedlings, grown in soil from the root zone of diseased plants, developed the disease after 1–8 months. Electron microscopy, of leaf-dip preparations showed presence of isometric viruslike particles (VLPs) of about 35 nm diameter in unusually high concentrations in diseased plants but not in healthy plants. VLPs from diseased leaves were purified by low-pH clarification followed by differential and densitygradient centrifugation. Purified VLP preparations showed UV absorption spectrum typical of nucleoproteins. A260/A280 was 1.48. High titered antisera obtained by injecting rabbits with purified VLPs reacted with sap from diseased plants but not healthy plants. Purified VLP preparations and sap from diseased plants did not react with antisera to Bermuda grass etched line, Brachypodium sylvaticum, brome mosaic, maize chlorotic dwarf, maize rayado fino, maize white line mosaic and tobacco necrosis viruses. |
