QUANTITATIVE STUDIES ON THE TRANSMISSION OF CABBAGE BLACK RING SPOT VIRUS BY MYZUS PERSICAE (SULZ.)

Factors affecting the transmission of cabbage black ring spot virus by Mysus persicae (Sulz.) were studied quantitatively using the local lesions produced on tobacco leaves. Aphids prevented from feeding for 15 min. or more, before feeding for a few minutes on an infected plant, caused more infections than unfasted aphids. Fasted aphids acquired virus from infected plants in feeding times as short as 10 sec., and infected healthy plants in test-feeding times of 5 sec. Increasing test-feeding times to 30 min. increased the numbers of infections. Increasing infection- feeding times from 10 sec. to 5 min. had little effect, but increasing to more than 5 min. greatly reduced the number of transmissions. This reduction was partly offset if the aphids were prevented from feeding continuously while on the infected plants. With undisturbed infection-feeding periods of 15 min. or longer, previously fasted aphids caused no more infections than unfasted aphids.
Infective aphids lost their ability to produce lesions more rapidly when feeding than when fasting.
Winged and wingless aphids were equally efficient vectors.