A New Natural Host of Apple mosaic virus : Berberis thunbergii atropurpureum

Abstract

Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), a pathogen of stone and pome fruit trees in the world , shows great variability in its biological and molecular properties. Berberis thunbergii atropurpureum plants with systemic symptoms consisting of light and dark red mosaic patterns were collected in Ukrainee in 2008 and 2009 and subjected to DAS-ELISA and RT-PCR tests. They were all positive against ApMV antiserum in DAS-ELISA and isolated RNAs were all amplified with ApMV primer set. RT-PCR amplified products of all isolates were subjected to restriction enzyme treatment and the results used to generate similarity coefficient dendrograms. B. thunbergii atropurpureum isolates were shown as a separate and new ApMV genotype among the other genotypes tested therefore, B. thunbergii atropurpureum was a new host of the pathogen for the world.