Serological Relationships Among Four Australian Strains of Sugarcane Mosaic Virus as Determined by Immune Electron Microscopy. Dharma D. Shukla, Division of Protein Chemistry, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Parkville (Melbourne), Victoria 3052, Australia. Keith H. Gough, Division of Protein Chemistry, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Parkville (Melbourne), Victoria 3052, Australia. Plant Dis. 68:204-206. Accepted for publication 29 August 1983. Copyright 1984 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-68-204.

Serological relationships among the four Australian strains of sugarcane mosaic virus, johnsongrass (JG), sugarcane (SC), Queensland blue couch grass (BC), and sabi grass (Sabi), were compared using two variations of immune electron microscopy. Particles of each strain were counted after being trapped on grids coated with protein A and homologous and heterologous antisera (differential trapping) or were trapped with homologous antisera, coated with homologous and heterologous antisera (decoration), and photographed. Results obtained from the differential trapping and decoration methods both led to the conclusion that the JG strain is not related serologically to the other three strains, SC is closely related to BC, and Sabi but is distinct from both, whereas BC and Sabi are very closely related to each other. Results are discussed in light of previous reports that show that JG is related serologically to other strains of the virus.