Disease Note

Occurrence of a Golden Mosaic of Legumes in Venezuela. E. A. Debrot, Seccion Fitopatologia, Centro Nacional Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Apdo. 4653, Maracay 2101, Venezuela. R. Lastra and R. C. de Uzcategui, Laboratorio de Virus de Plantas, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apdo. 1827, Caracas 1010 A, Venezuela; and S. Haber, Agriculture Canada Research Station, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2M9. Plant Dis. 70:981. Accepted for publication 13 May 1986. Copyright 1986 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-70-981a.

Golden mosaic symptoms are common in beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and lima beans (P. lunatus L.) in Venezuela and occur occasionally in the weed Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb. On the basis of host range, symptomatology, and transmission studies, isolates obtained from the three hosts were identified as bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV), a geminivirus. The Venezuelan virus was transmitted manually and by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Genn. to bean, lima bean, M. lathyroides, and Canavalia ensiformis DC. An isolate from lima bean had a DEP between 10^-1 and 10^-2 and a TIP of 50–52 C, was not transmitted through seed, induced formation of large aggregates of viruslike particles in the nucleus of young phloem cells, and was similar, but not identical, to the Puerto Rican isolate of BGMV, according to DNA hybridization analyses. This is believed to be the first published report confirming the occurrence of BGMV in Venezuela.