Studies on a Newly Recognized Disease of Nicotiana glutinosa of Viroid Etiology. S. L. Bhattiprolu, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-12, India. Plant Dis. 75:1068-1071. Accepted for publication 29 January 1991. Copyright 1991 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-75-1068.

This paper describes a disease of Nicotiana glutinosa characterized by epinasty of leaves, stunting, bunchiness, and occasional necrosis. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of extracts of low-molecular-weight nucleic acid showed a disease-specific RNA migrating faster than Indian tomato bunchy top viroid (ITBTVd). This disease-specific RNA proved to be infectious on N. glutinosa. The causal agent differed from ITBTVd in host range and could be transferred to N. clevelandii, N. debneyi, N. plumbaginifolia, Chenopodium amaranticolor, Cucumis sativus, Luffa acutangula, Cajanus cajan, and Vigna unguiculata. The infectious RNA separated into two bands in denaturing gels, presumably linear and circular forms. It has an M_r of 1.1 × 10⁵. These results constitute the first report of the natural occurrence of a viroid disease on N. glutinosa, for which I propose the name Nicotiana glutinosa stunt viroid (NgSVd).