A Moroccan Radish Mosaic Virus Isolate from Turnip. Renate Koenig, Institut für Viruskrankheiten der Pflanzen der Biologischen Bundesanstalt, Messeweg 11, D 33 Braunschweig, West Germany. H. U. Fischer, Direction de la Recherche Agronomique, Phytiatrie, B. P. 415, Rabbat, Morocco. Plant Dis. 65:758-760. Accepted for publication 29 June 1981. Copyright 1981 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-65-758.

Radish mosaic virus (RaMV) caused a severe disease of turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) in Morocco. Host range and serologic properties of the virus suggested that it was closely related but not identical to strain HZ of RaMV from Yugoslavia. Both viruses were very susceptible to a partial degradation of their light coat proteins. The Moroccan isolate differed markedly from the type strain of RaMV from California. We therefore concluded that the Moroccan isolate belongs to the European subtype of RaMV. This appears to be the first report of RaMV from North Africa.