VIEW ARTICLE

Occurrence and Some Properties of Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus in Rubus Species in The United States. Richard H. Converse, Plant Pathologist, Western Region, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331; Phytopathology 63:780-783. Accepted for publication 7 January 1973. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-63-780.

Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) has been identified serologically in the United States in Boysen, ‘Canby’ red raspberry, and in three black-raspberry cultivars in four states. The production of symptoms typical of RBDV in the test host, Chenopodium quinoa, used to index 31 Rubus cultivars from 89 fields in 12 states, indicates that RBDV is probably widespread in the United States in cultivated Rubus. ‘Munger’ black raspberry, freed of RBDV by heat treatment and then inoculated with RBDV by grafting or naturally in the field, failed to develop symptoms. In a quantitative field comparison of Munger with and without RBDV, there were no differences in fruit yield or quality over a 2-year period, although vegetative growth was significantly less in RBDV-infected plants in some measurements. RBDV was seed-borne (22%) in open-pollinated Canby red raspberry. Pollen germination was not depressed in Munger black raspberry naturally infected with RBDV, compared with RBDV-free Munger. Properties of the virus preparation from an Oregon source of Munger agreed with those of the original isolate of the isometric virus, raspberry bushy dwarf, described in Scotland.