Cytopathic effects in orchid leaf tissues infected with Australian, Japanese and Brazilian isolates of Orchid fleck virus (OFV) were indistinguishable and like those previously described in the literature. Cells had an electron-lucent viroplasm with unenveloped rod-shaped virions in the nucleus and cytoplasm, often associated with the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope and the endoplasmic reticulum. Antiserum raised against a Japanese isolate of OFV reacted with Brazilian and Australian isolates in ELISA, and when used for immuno-gold labelling, also reacted in situ with the rod-shaped virions and the intranuclear viroplasm of all three isolates. These results suggest that the viroplasm is where structural proteins accumulate and virions are formed.

Bacterial spot, caused by Xanthomonas spp., is one of the major diseases of pepper in Brazil, causing considerable losses to crop productivity. The efficient management of the disease is hampered by the high variability of the causal agents. In Brazil, there is no knowledge of which species of Xanthomonas occurs on pepper. In this study, 59 strains of Xanthomonas spp. isolated from different pepper-producing regions of Brazil were characterized by biochemical and molecular techniques. Results showed the prevalence of X. euvesicatoria as the causal agent of bacterial spot on pepper in Brazil.

Colletotrichum boninense was isolated from pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruits (cv. Amanda) with preharvest anthracnose symptoms collected in the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo in July of 2005. In the field, the disease affected mature fruits and leaves with an incidence near 25%. Typical symptoms in fruits were circular, sunken lesions with orange spore masses in a dark center. Three single conidia isolates were obtained from infected fruits. When grown on potato dextrose agar at 25°C with a 12-h photoperiod, these isolates produced white colonies with a cream-to-orange color in the opposite side, but no sclerotia. Conidia were cylindrical, had obtuse ends and a hilum-like low protuberance at the base, and measured 13.5 to 15.5 × 4.6 to 5.1 μm. Conidial length/width ratio was 2.8 to 3.0. These morphological characteristics are consistent with the description of C. boninense (1). To confirm pathogen identity, the internal transcribed spacer rRNA region was sequenced (GenBank Accession Nos. FJ010199, FJ010200, and FJ010201) and compared with the same region of C. boninense (GenBank Accession No. DQ286160.1). Similarity between these sequences was 98 to 99%. The pathogenicity of the three isolates was determined on pepper fruits cv. Amanda. Attached as well as detached fruits from potted plants were inoculated. Inoculation was performed by depositing 40-μl droplets of a suspension (105 conidia per ml) on the surfaces of nonwounded (detached n = 5; attached n = 5) and wounded (detached n = 5; attached n = 5) fruits with a sterilized hypodermic needle. Incubation took place in a moist chamber for 12 days at 25°C with a 12-h photoperiod. Inoculation of control fruits was similar in procedure and number to that of test fruits, except sterile distilled water was used instead of the conidial suspension. Symptoms, observed in wounded and nonwounded test fruits 3 to 5 days after inoculation, were characterized by necrotic, sunken zones containing acervuli, black setae, and orange spore masses. Control fruits presented no symptoms. Pathogens reisolated from infected fruits showed the same morphological and molecular characteristics of the isolates previously inoculated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. boninense infecting pepper in Brazil. Reference: (1) J. Moriwaki et al. Mycoscience 44:47, 2003.

Em São Paulo, existem dois isolados do Grapevine virus B (GVB), sorologicamente semelhantes e sintomatologicamente distintos, que causam a doença denominada fendilhamento cortical ("grapevine corky bark", GCB). Na literatura estrangeira existem relatos de que o GVB pode ser transmitido por cochonilhas brancas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o de verificar a transmissibilidade do GVB de videira infectada para videira sadia através da cochonilha da espécie Pseudococcus longispinus. Os dois isolados do vírus foram testados: o isolado comum (GVB-C) e o isolado Itália (GVB-I). A confirmação de infecção foi feita através da análise visual de sintomas, ELISA e RT-PCR. Em todos os testes de inoculação experimental, os primeiros sintomas da virose foram notados com, aproximadamente, 8 a 12 meses após a exposição às cochonilhas. Plantas sadias da variedade LN-33, mantidas ao redor de uma planta infectada com o GVB-C e altamente infestada pela P. longispinus, tornaram-se infectadas com incidência de 54,2%, após 4 anos. Empregando-se inoculação experimental com cochonilhas virulíferas, plantas da indicadora LN-33 apresentaram infecção de 46,2% e 40,0% para o GVB-C e GVB-I, respectivamente, após 3 anos de observações. Apesar desta espéciede cochonilhaocorrer de maneira eventual nos vinhedos do Estado de São Paulo, precauções devem ser tomadas em áreas onde são mantidos clones sadios de variedades de copa e de porta-enxerto de videira, visto que esses insetos, além de possuírem grande número de plantas hospedeiras, também podem transmitir outros importantes vírus da videira.

Pepper yellow mosaic virus (PepYMV) is the most important potyvirus infecting sweet pepper in Brazil. In this study, twenty isolates of PepYMV were obtained from commercial sweet pepper crops. To confirm virus identity, the coat protein gene was completely sequenced for eleven of these isolates, and partially sequenced for the other nine isolates. The amino acid identities obtained were above 93% when compared with the sequence of a characterized PepYMV isolate (AF348610). Extracts of Nicotiana tabacum cv. TNN plants infected with the different isolates were used to inoculate the differential series of Capsicum spp cultivars containing the genes pvr2 1 , pvr2 2 , pvr2 3 , pvr2 4 , and Pvr4. Using the same criteria established for Potato virus Y (PVY), fourteen isolates of PepYMV could be classified as known pathotypes described for PVY, that is: 1.2 (2 isolates), 1.3 (6) and 1.2.3 (6). The remaining six isolates, 1.3 (2) and 1.2.3 (4) could not be classified into the typical pathotypes of PVY because they were also virulent on Serrano Criollo de Morellos-334 (C.M 334) which carries the pvr2 3 and Pvr4 genes. To classify the PepYMV into pathotypes and counter the biological diversity found in this species we propose the utilization of 2 x for the ability to overcome the correspondent allele of the pvr2 locus and 4 for the capacity to break down the Pvr4 gene. Using this criterion we could classify the PepYMV into five

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A espécie Tomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV) é a predominante em áreas de cultivo de pimentão no Estado de São Paulo. Sua ocorrência na cul tura é rel ati vame nt e rece nt e de modo que não e xi ste m informações sobre os danos causados nesta cultura. Os objetivos do presente trabalho foram avaliar a produtividade e qualidade dos frutos de pimentão de três cultivares ( Magda, Amanda e Rubi a R) quando Keywords: Bemisia tabaci, Begomovirus, Capsicum ABSTRACTTomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV) is the predominant species of be gomovirus affe ct ing pe ppe r crops in São Paul o Stat e, Brazi l. It s occurrence is rel atively rece nt for the cult ure thus, t here is no informati on on yi el d losse s caused by t hi s virus on swee t peppe r. The aims of thi s study we re to evaluat e yie ld and frui t qualit y of t h re e pe p pe r cul t i v ars ( M a gda, Am and a an d R ubi a R) i n fe ct e d Rocha, K.C.; Krause-Sakate, R.; Pavan, M.A.; Kobori, R.F.; Gioria, R.; Yuki, V.A. Yield losses caused by Tomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV) in pepper cultivars. Summa Phytopathologica, v.38, n.1, p. 87-89, 2012. wit h ToSRV. T he re was marke d re duct ion in t he numbe r of fruit s and in the growth of plants; howe ver, ToSRV did not signifi cant ly i nflue nce t he ave rage we i ght, di ame te r and the l e ngth of frui t s. T he re su l t s o bt ai n e d so far l e ad t o t h e con cl usi on t h at To SRV cause s damage i n pe ppers and it is necessary t he devel opme nt of resi stant cult i vars t o ToSRV. Diferentes espécies de vírus infectam o gêneroCapsicum no Brasil, incluindo as do gênero begomovírus (2, 4, 6). O gênero Begomovirus é o mais importante dentro da família Geminiviridae, seu genoma é constituído por DNA circular (ssDNA), encapsidado em partículas icosaédricas geminadas (7) e no Brasil prevalecem os begomovírus bipartidos, com presença dos componentes A e B. A transmissão e dispersão de begomovírus no campo ocorre pelas moscas-brancas, espécie Bemisia tabaci, classificadas na ordem Hemiptera (Família: Aleyrodidae) (7).As espécies de begomovírus hoje relatadas em pimenta e pimentão no país, o ToRSV e o Tomato yellow vein streak virus-ToYVSV (4, 6), são as mesmas que vem acarretando danos significativos na cultura do tomateiro. Desde a primeira constatação de begomovírus em plantas do gênero Capsicum, levantamentos realizados recentemente no estado de São Paulo indicam que a incidência em pimentão está cada vez mais frequente e que o ToSRV predomina no Estado de São Paulo tanto em pimentão quanto em tomateiro (6). Para o tomateiro já existem dados demonstrando os danos diretos e indiretos causados pelo ToYVSV causa nesta planta (8, 3), porém para o pimentão nada foi demonstrado até o momento.Deste modo o objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da infecção pelo ToSRV na produtividade das cultivares comerciais de pimentão Amanda, Magda e Rubia R. Foi selecionado o isolado ToSRV-Sk (cedido pela Empresa Sakata Seed Sudamerica) em função de sua maior agressividade tanto em tomateiro como em pimentão.Para a ...

The occurrence of the bacterial blight, caused by Pseudomonas cichorii, was observed in two commercial tomato fields in the State of São Paulo in 2005. In view of this, studies were carried out in order to determine the host range of Pseudomonas cichorii isolates (IBSBF 2309 and IBSBF 2323), obtained from tomato plants at commercial fields located in the cities of Bragança Paulista and Mogi Guaçú, SP, Brazil. Caserta pumpkin, lettuce, purslane, eggplant, beet, broccoli, carrot, Jimson weed, sunflower, tobacco, scarlet eggplant, melon, cucumber, petunia, green pepper, radish, cabbage, arugula, parsley, and tomato plants were spray-inoculated separately with two isolates of P. cichorii obtained from tomato and one from sunflower (GIR-1). The isolates IBSBF 2309 and IBSBF 2323 were pathogenic to purslane, Jimson weed, sunflower, green pepper, and tomato; GIR-1 was only pat ho ge ni c to pur sl ane, J im so n wee d, and s unfl ower , but no t Silva Júnior, T.A.F.; Gioria, R.; Maringoni, A.C.; Azevedo, S.M.; Beriam, L.O.S.; Almeida, I.M.G.; Host range and genotypes reaction to