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Yield Losses Associated with Virus-Infected Garlic Plants During Five Successive Years

December 2003 , Volume 87 , Number  12
Pages  1,411 - 1,415

Vilma C. Conci , Ana Canavelli , and P. Lunello , Instituto de Fitopatología y Fisiología Vegetal INTA, Camino 60 Cuadras km 5 y 1/2, (5119), Córdoba, Argentina ; J. Di Rienzo , Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Valparaiso s/n Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina ; S. F. Nome , Instituto de Fitopatología y Fisiología Vegetal INTA, Camino 60 Cuadras km 5 y 1/2, (5119), Córdoba, Argentina ; G. Zumelzu , Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Valparaiso s/n Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina ; Rusell Italia , Agencia de Extensión Rural INTA Jesús María, Tucumán 255 (5220) Jesús María, Córdoba, Argentina



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Accepted for publication 12 June 2003.
ABSTRACT

Virus-free garlic plants, when planted in the field, are quickly infected by viruses, but it is not known to what extent this affects the yield over successive crop cycles. The yield loss curve was studied for these plants during 5 years of tests in the field. Highly significant differences were detected in the weight and perimeter of bulbs in relation to the years of exposure to virus infection. An increase was observed in yield compared with chronically diseased plants of between 66 and 216% in weight and 13 and 37% in perimeter of bulbs in the first crop cycle and 49% in weight and 16% in perimeter in the fifth year. These results showed a gradual loss in yield until the third year, and subsequently the production values remained steady for the fourth and fifth years of testing but were still higher than those reached by chronically diseased plants.


Additional keywords: Allexivirus, Carlavirus, Leek yellow stripe virus, Onion yellow dwarf virus, virus complex, virus-free garlic plants

© 2003 The American Phytopathological Society