[nafex] FW: Faster Detection of Plum Pox

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

This item is one of the news releases and story leads that ARS Information
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www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm.
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* ARS Information Staff, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Room 1-2251, Beltsville MD
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From: "ARS News Service" <isjd@ars-grin.gov>
To: "ARS News List" <ars-news@ars-grin.gov>
Subject: Faster Detection of Plum Pox
Date: Tue, Jul 11, 2000, 4:29 AM


STORY LEAD:
New Research Speeds Detection of Plum Pox Virus
___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Jesús García, (301) 504-1627, jgarcia@ars-grin.gov
July 11, 2000
___________________________________________

Agricultural Research Service scientists have developed new techniques that
not only confirm the presence of plum pox virus (PPV) but also distinguish
between severe and less virulent strains of the disease, their origin, and
mode of transmission.

While stone fruits have been in the United States for centuries, PPV has
not.  Until late 1999, it was not known to occur in North America.
Therefore, any PPV infestation represents a major quarantine concern to
everyone involved in the $1.3 billion U.S. stone fruit industry.

Previously available serological and biological methods are sometimes not
sensitive enough to detect PPV, are slow, and do not detect specific
strains. The new tests were developed by scientists at the ARS Floral and
Nursery Plants Research Unit in Beltsville, Md., led by John Hammond.

The new process uses a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
PCR multiplies the molecules in a sample's nucleic acid, making enough DNA
copies to be analyzed.  ARS researchers developed PCR primers that initiate
this process and are able to detect all PPV strains.  Researchers then
combined PCR with other biotech procedures that help researchers
distinguish between different strains of PPV.

This allows researchers to more effectively track the origin of a PPV
infection.  If an orchard is found to be infected, the source might be from
the mother trees used for tree propagation, by aphid transmission or via
weed hosts of the virus.

Distinguishing between PPV types may help researchers find a correlation
between a particular strain and its ability to infect a specific type of
host plant.  Some strains of PPV may infect a tree easily, while others can
do so only with great difficulty. This also allows scientists to determine
how long a tree has been infected, if any variants have developed, or if a
tree has been infected numerous times from various sources.  All of these
are key to checking the spread of the disease and eradicating it from
infected areas.

ARS is the chief scientific arm of the USDA.
___________________________________________

Scientific contact: John Hammond, ARS Floral and Nursery Plants Research
Unit, Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-5313, fax (301) 504- 5096,
jhammon@asrr.arsusda.gov.
___________________________________________

This item is one of the news releases and story leads that ARS Information
distributes on weekdays to fax and e-mail subscribers.  You can also get
the latest ARS news on the World Wide Web at
www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm.
* Feedback and questions to ARS News Service via e-mail: isjd@ars-grin.gov.
* ARS Information Staff, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Room 1-2251, Beltsville MD
20705-5128, (301) 504-1617, fax 504-1648.




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