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Filamentous Viruses Infecting Dasheen and other Araceous Plants. F. W. Zettler, Assistant Plant Pathologist, Plant Pathology and Agronomy Departments, University of Florida, Gainesville 32601; M. J. Foxe(2), R. D. Hartman(3), J. R. Edwardson(4), and R. G. Christie(5). (2)(3)(4)(5)Graduate Assistant, Student Assistant, Agronomist, and Technician, respectively, Plant Pathology and Agronomy Departments, University of Florida, Gainesville 32601. Phytopathology 60:983-987. Accepted for publication 23 January 1970. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-60-983.

Araceae of the genera Aglaonema, Caladium, Colocasia, Dieffenbachia, Xanthosoma, and Zantedeschia were found to be naturally infected with one or more flexuous-rod viruses which proved mechanically transmissible to seedlings of the aroid Philodendron selloum. The isolate from dasheen (Colocasia esculenta) is tentatively designated as dasheen mosaic virus (DMV). This isolate infected seedlings of the two aroid species tested, P. selloum and Z. elliottiana. No seedlings of the nonaraceous species mechanically inoculated with DMV developed symptoms. DMV has characteristics in common with other viruses assigned to the “potato virus Y” group of Brandes and Bercks in (i) being aphid-transmitted in a stylet-borne manner; (ii) having a mean particle length of 750 mµ; and (iii) inducing characteristic cylindrical inclusions.