Host Ranges, Serology and Cytopathology of Eggplant and Tomato Strains of Eggplant Severe Mottle Virus, a New Potyvirus from Nigeria

Two potyvirus isolates from the eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars ‘Ex Benin’ and ‘Ex Jos’, respectively, in Nigeria proved to be almost identical in host range, symptomatology and reactivity with antisera to various potyviruses. In eggplant they caused a severe systemic mottle, blistering and malformation of leaves and an abnormal serration of the leaf margins. A potyvirus isolate from tomato showing mosaic symptoms was similar, but not identical to the eggplant isolates. In the slide, precipitin test the serological differentiation indices were between 1 and 3 for the eggplant and tomato isolates. In the immunoelectron microscopical decoration test all three virus isolates showed some reactivity with antisera to the following potyvir, uses: dioscorea green banding mosaic, groundnut eyespot, a mungbean isolate of peanut stripe, pepper veinal mottle, telfairia mosaic and a tomato isolate from Taiwan. No reactions were observed with antisera to other potyviruses. Cytopathogenic effects w,ere similar for all three isolates in the arrangement of virus particles, the structure of the cylindrical inclusions and the occurrence of clusters of small vesicles. However, other cytological alterations like accumulations of rod-shaped aggregates of,granular material, formation of giant mitochondria, degeneration of mitochondria and occurrence of a nucleolar inclusion differentiated the isolates.