ABSTRACT
IDENTIFICATION OF ONION YELLOVV DWARF VIRUS IN CHILE

Mario Alvarez A.1, Moisés Escaff G.2 y Cecilia Urbina de Vidal3
 

Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV) was found to be the causal agent of a serious disease of onions in central Chile. Affected plants presented severe stunting. Foliar symptoms consisted of chlorotic streaks along the veins and basal leaves showed dropping-over resembling a wilt. The virus was efficiently transmitted from onion to onion mechanicalIy and by the aphid Macrosíphum rosae in a stylet-borne manner. Leaf-dip preparations showed lat the electron microscope single and end-aggregated flexuous rods ca. 700 nm in length. The virus was identified as OYDV on the basis of particle morphology, sap and aphid transmissibility and symptomatology.

Keywords:
1lng. Agr., Ph. D., Programa Frutales y Viñas, Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Casilla 5427, Santiago, Chile.
2Ing. Agr., M. S., Programa Hortalizas, Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Casilla 5427, Santiago, Chile.
3Biólogo Celular, Laboratorio de Fitocitología, Depto. de Biologia Celular y Genética, Sede Norte, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 6556, Santiago, Chile. Actualmente: Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apartado 1827, Caracas,