Disease Note.

Bibiscus Chlorotic Ringspot Virus in Malaysian Hibiscus.. N. Abdul-Samad, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. M. Mat. Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Plant Dis. 79:967. Accepted for publication 12 May 1995. Copyright 1995 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-79-0967C.

The ornamental hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L., is one of the most popular and widely planted shrubs in Malaysia. A hundred cultivars or hybrids have been introduced into the country. The local hibiscus plant is quite hardy and relatively free from pests and diseases. However, recently, the occurence of viruslike symptoms such as tiny chlorotic spots, ringspots, and vein-banding had been observed in a number of cultivars. Leaves of hibiscus showing chlorotic symptoms were collected from the Horticultural Unit, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia campus, Serdang, Malaysia, and a sap-transmissible virus was isolated by the ammonium sulfate precipitation and cesium chloride density gradient centrifugation (1). The purified Virions sedimented as a single band remained infectious to produce chlorotic local lesions when inoculated to Chenopodium amaranticolor Coste & Reyn. Transmission electron microscopy showed spherical virus particles with a diameter of 28 nm. Antiserum raised in rabbits against the virus with a titer of 1/512 in gel double-diffusion tests. The virus was reacted against the homologous. Hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus (HCRV ATCC PVAS 436A) and carnation ringspot virus (CarMV ATCC PVAS 108A) antisera by the gel immunodiffusion tests. The antigen produced a continuous precipitin line and did not spur with the homologous and HCRV antisera but did not react against CarMV. Serologically the virus is closely related to HCRV but not to CarMV. This is the first report of HCRV in H. rosa-sinensis in Malaysia.