Peanut stunt virus (PSV) is a plant pathogenic virusDescription of Plant Viruses:What are viruses? in the family Bromoviridae.Description of Plant Viruses: Bromovirideae It is a member of the genus Cucumovirus.Description of Plant Viruses: Cucumovirus The members of this genus are positive-stranded RNA viruses with a multipartite genome (3–4 parts). The virus particles have an isometric or spherical shape.ICTVdB – Picture Gallery: Images of CMV
Distribution and host range PSV was first named as a new disease of groundnuts or peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea ) in 1966. Disease symptoms on the above ground parts of the peanut plants were described as severe dwarfing or stunting – hence the name Peanut stunt virus. Fruit production was also severely reduced. Virginia peanut fields, where this disease was first observed in 1964, had yield reductions of 10–50%.Miller, L.E. and Troutman, J.L. 1966. Stunt disease of peanuts in Virginia. Plant Disease Reporter 50:139–143.
Severe stunting of peanuts had also been observed in North Carolina in 1964.Cooper, W.E. 1966. A destructive virus disease of peanut. Plant Disease Reporter 50:136 The peanut disease in N. Carolina was reported to be caused by the PSV in 1967.Hebert, T.T. 1967. Epidemiology of peanut stunt virus in North Carolina. (Abstr.) Phytopathology 57: 461. The later report also stated that this virus caused disease in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and in white clover (Trifolium repens).
After its first description, PSV was quickly diagnosed in beans in Washington State,Mink, G.I., Hebert, T.T., and Silbernagel, M.J. 1967. A strain of peanut stunt virus isolated in Washington (Abstr.) Phytopathology 57: 1400. white clover in South Carolina,Choopanya, D. 1968. Distribution of peanut stunt virus in white clover in South Carolina and its relationship to peanut culture. Plant Disease Reporter 52: 926–928. peanuts, beans and white clover in Georgia,Kuhn, C.W. 1971. Peanut stunt virus in Georgia. Plant Disease Reporter 55:453 peanuts in Alabama,Rogers, K. M. and Mixon, A.C. 1972. Peanut stunt virus in Alabama. Plant Disease Reporter 56:415–416 and white clover in Florida.Batchelor, D.L., Young, T.R., and Purcifull, D.E. 1974. Identification of peanut stunt virus in Florida. Plant Disease Reporter 58: 830–831. Strains of PSV have now been identified in Africa (Morocco), Europe (France, Poland, Russia, and Spain) and Asia (India,Bananej, K., Hajimorad, M. R. and Shahraeen, N. 1995. Isolation and characterization of a cucumovirus resembling peanut stunt virus from Iran. P. 107. In Proc. 12th Iranian Plant Protection Congress. Japan, Korea and ChinaXu, Z. and Zhang, Z. 1988. Distribution of peanut virus diseases and detection of virus by serology in China. Oil Crops China 2:56–61.) as well as in the United States.
PSV is an economically important pathogen of plants in the family Leguminosae. In addition to beans, peanuts, and clover (7 different species of TrifoliumChoopanya, D. and Halpin, J.E. 1968. Host range of peanut stunt virus in Trifolium spp. Phytopathology 58:726.), PSV has been reported to naturally infect peas (Pisum sativum), soybeans (Glycine max), alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and lupine (Lupinus luteus). In 2002, PSV was reported to infect rhizoma or perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata) in N. Florida and S. Georgia.Blount, A.R. Pittman, R.N, Smith, B.A., Morgan, R. N., Dankers, W., Sprenkel, R.K., Momol, M.T. 2002. First Report of Peanut Stunt Virus in Perennial Peanut in North Florida and Southern Georgia. Plant Disease 86:326.
Host range studies have shown that fourteen other plant families can be infected with this virus including agriculturally important crops in the plant families Cucurbitaceae (squash, cucumber, watermelon) and Solanaceae (tomatoes, peppers, tobacco).ICTVdB – The Universal Virus Database: Peanut stunt virus Cultivated Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)Gooding, G.V., Jr. 1968. Burley tobacco naturally infected with peanut stunt virus in Virginia. Plant Dis. Rep. 54:183–184. and celery (Apium graveolens)Twardowicz-Jakusz, A. and Pospieszny, H. 1983. Comparison of two strains of peanut stunt virus isolated from celery and yellow lupine in Poland. Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci. 29:423–427. have also been reported to be naturally infected.
Transmission PSV is transmitted from plant to plant by several species of aphids (Aphis craccivora, A. spiraecola and Myzus persicae) in a stylet-borne manner. It can also be transmitted by mechanical inoculation. It has been shown to be transmitted by seeds in peanuts at a very low levelTroutman, J.L., W.K. Bailey, and C.A. Thomas. 1967. Seed Transmission of Peanut Stunt Virus. Phytopathology 57: 1280–1281. but this is not considered to be very important to the spread of this virus.
The virus can be introduced into a susceptible field crop by aphids from a nearby reservoir (infected perennial hosts like clover, alfalfa or perennial peanuts) and then is spread further into the field by aphids. It can be spread in perennial crops by harvesting (mechanical transmission) and possibly by root grafts.
Diagnosis Correct diagnosis of any plant disease requires some expertise. Plants suspected of a viral infection should be sent to a plant diagnostic laboratory where the presence or absence of the virus can be confirmed by serological (ELISA), genetic (PCR), or host range tests. Antiserum and sequence data are available for this virus.
Other references for Peanut stunt virus in perennial peanuts Blount, A.R., R.K. Sprenkel, R.N. Pittman, B.A. Smith, R.N. Morgan. W. Dankers, and T.M. Momol 2002. Peanut Stunt Virus Reported on Perennial Peanut in North Florida and Southern Georgia. IFAS Pub. SS-AGR-37 Baker, C. A. Blount and K. Quesenberry 1999. Peanut Stunt Virus Infecting Perennial Peanuts in Florida and Georgia. Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville Fl. Circular 395 Peanut Stunt Virus in Perennial Peanuts : Symptoms and Inclusions IPM images:leaf symptoms of PSV in perennial peanuts
References
External links ICTVdB ICTVdB – The Universal Virus Database: Peanut stunt virus Plant Viruses Online – Peanut stunt cucumovirus