Brome Mosaic Virus Infection Mimics, Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus Disease Symptoms in Small Grains

Previous studies on the occurrence of “barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) disease” in South Africa have led to the conclusion that, although this virus is present, the main causative agent of “yellow dwarf” disease in cereals appears to be the unrelated brome mosaic virus (BMV). In this study, material from South Africa, Britain and Australia that had been identified symprtomatically as being infected with BYDV, was found by serological testing to contain BMV. No BYDV could be detected in the same samples. This report discusses the hazards of relying on symptom expression for the diagnosis of a common world-wide disease problem.