VIEW ARTICLE

Ecology and Epidemiology

Evidence for Random Local Spread of Aphid-borne Mild Yellow-edge Virus in Strawberries. Richard H. Converse, Plant pathologist, Science and Education Administration, Agricultural Research, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; Justus Seely(2), and Lloyd W. Martin(3). (2)Associate professor of Statistics, Department of Statistics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; (3)Associate professor of Horticulture, Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. Phytopathology 69:142-144. Accepted for publication 21 August 1978. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1979. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-69-142.

The spread of aphid-borne strawberry mild yellow-edge virus was studied along short rows in a field in western Oregon during a 37-mo period. The number of infected plants adjoining other infected plants (doublets) was compared with the total number of infected plants per plot. The methods of van der Plank and Freeman were used to predict doublet occurrence, but we revised their methods for computing variance. The pattern of doublet occurrence approximated the pattern predicted from a random distribution and is consistent with the assumption that mild yellow-edge virus infections occurred at random within plots.