PROPERTIES AND HOST RANGE OF TURNIP CRINKLE, ROSETTE AND YELLOW MOSAIC VIRUSES

Three isolates of turnip yellow mosaic virus and two other flea-beetle transmitted viruses, turnip crinkle and turnip rosette, have many similar properties: thermal inactivation end-point between 80 and 90° C.; dilution end-point greater than 10^-4; longevity in vitro at about 20° C. at least 30 days. All were transmitted by mechanical inoculation to a wide range of cruciferous host plants, including many weeds. Turnip yellow mosaic virus infected only Reseda odorata outside the Cruciferae , whereas rosette virus infected a few and crinkle virus many non-cruciferous hosts.     

STUDIES ON DANDELION YELLOW MOSAIC AND OTHER VIRUS DISEASES OF LETTUCE

The symptoms caused by dandelion yellow mosaic virus on cultivated lettuce, Lactuca serriola and L. virosa , are described and compared with those caused by lettuce mosaic virus. Lettuce is much more susceptible than dandelion to the yellow mosaic virus; no infections of dandelion were obtained by mechanical inoculation and only three by aphides, whereas infection of lettuce is regularly obtained by aphides and by inoculation provided an abrasive is used. Myzus ornatus, M. ascalonicus and Aulacorthum solani transmitted dandelion yellow mosaic virus but not lettuce mosaic virus, whereas Myzus persicae transmitted the latter but not the former. Nasonovia ribicola , the common lettuce aphis, transmitted neither. Aphides became infective only after feeding periods of some hours on the diseased plants and ceased to be infective within an hour of the infective feeding. Their efficiency as vectors was not increased by a preliminary starving period, as happens with Myzus persicae and lettuce mosaic virus. Lettuce mosaic virus was found in most samples of commercial seed, which explains its prevalence; no evidence was found for the seed-transmission of dandelion mosaic virus and it is doubtful if it occurs, for infected lettuce are so severely affected that they rarely set seed.
Cucumber mosaic virus was isolated from naturally infected lettuce.     

THE VIRUSES CAUSING TOP NECROSIS (ACRONECROSIS) OF THE POTATO

It is shown that top necrosis can be produced in different potato varieties by a number of viruses. The reactions of these viruses on a large number of commercial varieties are given, together with certain of their properties and methods by which they can be transmitted. By grafting and needle inoculating infected potatoes to the four varieties Epicure, Arran Victory, President and Up-to-Date, and noting the type of necrotic disease produced on these differential hosts, it has been found possible to distinguish with a fair degree of accuracy between six viruses. The necrotic reactions of these varieties are given below.
The writer has great pleasure in expressing his gratitude to Dr D. R,. Salaman for permission to make use of the virus material, and for many valuable suggestions.     

GROUNDNUT ROSETTE DISEASE IN TANGANYIKA

Rosette disease of groundnuts in Tanganyika is brought into the crop by infective alatae of Aphis craccivora : spread within the crop is by apterae and alatae. During the dry season the aphids maintain themselves on self-set groundnuts and on two genera of Leguminosae: Vigna and Millettia or Lonchocarpus. No native source of the virus causing rosette disease has been discovered, but self-set groundnuts carry over the virus from one cropping season to the next. Syrphid larvae and other predators are important in controlling the vector. Preliminary spraying trials with 0.5% schradan gave promising results in controlling the aphids on groundnut crops and consequently checking the spread of rosette disease. Selections of the variety Mwitunde showed the lowest incidence of rosette infection and gave the highest yields in trials in 1952.     

MINIPODIA AND ROSETTE CONTACTS ARE ADHESIVE ORGANELLES PRESENT IN FREE-LIVING AMOEBAE

Using scanning electron microscopy, Amoeba proteus cells migrating on the glass have been shown to develop dense coats of minipodia, which are discrete microprotrusions up to 8 microm long and approximately 0.5 microm across. They cover the middle-anterior area of the ventral cell surface, i.e. the region previously determined as the zone of most efficient adhesion of an amoeba to its substratum. Minipodia are sparse underneath the frontal zone and lacking from the tail region. In amoebae that adhere to the glass without moving, have just started moving, or show unstable motor polarity, minipodia are grouped in rosette contacts, cauliflower-like papillae composed of supporting platforms with crowns of minipodia emerging from them. Both structures abound with cytoskeletal F-actin, as shown by staining with fluorescein-conjugated phalloidin. Amoebae experimentally prevented from adhering to the substratum neither develop discrete minipodia nor rosette contacts.     

VIRUS DISEASES OF CACAO IN WEST AFRICAL: II. CROSS-IMMUNITY EXPERIMENTS WITH VIRUSES 1A, 1B AND 1C

Experiments on cross-immunity reactions between three viruses attacking Theobroma cacao L. on the Gold Coast are described. A field trial involving 3 acres of graft-inoculated trees revealed some degree of protection afforded by Theobroma virus 1B against infection with virus 1A. The protection appeared to be more effective against insect inoculation than against graft transmission, being only temporary in the latter. Virus 1C (probably unrelated but not to be called Theobroma virus 2 until more evidence is available) conferred no protection against virus 1A.
The latent periods for these viruses were calculated from this experiment, which also provided data on their effects on yield. Virus 1A reduced yield by 50% in the first year after inoculation and killed the trees in the second. Virus 1B had no appreciable effect on yield; virus 1C reduced yield by 50 % in the third year after inoculation but there was no further decline in the fourth.
The rates of spread of these viruses were compared and significant differences demonstrated.