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Techniques

Application of the Latex Flocculation Serological Assay to Curly Top Virus. D. L. Mumford, Plant Pathologist, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Crops Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322; Phytopathology 67:949-952. Accepted for publication 11 January 1977. Copyright © 1977 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-67-949.

Antiserum produced against curly top virus (CTV) was used to develop a latex flocculation (LF) assay for the virus. The LF assay was 100 times more sensitive than double diffusion in agar but was less sensitive than a plant infectivity assay. Results from the plant infectivity assay are obtained in 2 wk, whereas the LF assay can be completed in 1 hr with sensitized latex prepared in advance. By using the LF assay to measure virus concentration in extracts of diseased tissue, tobacco was found to contain much higher concentrations of CTV than sugar beet, tomato, or bean.