Disease Note

First Report of Tomato Aspermy Virus in Arkansas. I. B. Ahmad, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72701. H. A. Scott, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72701. Plant Dis. 70:1074. Accepted for publication 22 July 1986. Copyright 1986 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-70-1074c.

A virus isolated from tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in central Arkansas showing leaf mottling and distortion was tentatively identified as tomato aspermy virus (TAV) by routine serological tests. Comparisons of this virus (TAV-A) with TAV-C from Canada (1) showed the two isolates to be similar or identical in biological, biophysical, and biochemical properties. Purified preparations of TAV-A and TAV-C had sedimentation coefficients of 97 and 98 S and protein subunit molecular weights of 26,600 and 26,500, respectively. Both viruses are icosahedral particles, 28 nm in diameter, containing four nucleic acids with molecular weights of 1.2, 1.1, 0.9, and 0.45 × 10⁶. The viruses were serologically identical in reciprocal gel diffusion tests and incited similar symptoms in extensive host range studies. This is the first report of TAV in Arkansas. The isolate is considered to be identical to TAV-C.