A Checklist of Major Weeds and Crops as Natural Hosts for Plant Viruses in the Northeast

Re-posted from VegetableMD Online. 

Introduction

“If there wasn’t a source of virus, there wouldn’t be a virus problem”. This simplistic statement implies that viruses must originate from known sources, and in the case of most plant viruses there are three main sources:

1. Transmitted via seed or seedpiece.
   1. Examples are bean common mosaic potyvirus in beans, soybean mosaic potyvirus in soybean, and lettuce mosaic potyvirus in lettuce.
   2. Seedpiece transmitted viruses are common for many potato viruses.
2. Introduced by an infected transplant.
3. Naturally occurring on infected weed hosts or originating in an adjoining infected susceptible crop.

This article provides a convenient checklist of the most commonly occurring naturally infected weed hosts and cultivated crops in the Northeast. Not included in the plant list are additional plants that can be infected experimentally. Similarly, for the most part only those plant viruses which commonly occur in the Northeast are included.

The textbook Weeds of the Northeast (WNE) with the corresponding description page is indicated in the table below. References are provided at the end for more detailed information on weed identification and plant virus descriptions and host ranges.

Table

The Life Cycle Key and Virus Key are found below the table.

Life Cycle Key

• Annual Plants: surviving only one season but can exist as:
  • S/Annuals: summer annuals will germinate in the spring or summer and die in the same season.
  • S/W annuals: summer or winter annuals. Winter annuals will germinate in the late summer and may tolerate cold weather (overwintering) and then flower and later die the next spring or summer.
• Biennials: plants that require 2 years to complete life cycle, with vegetative growth in the first year, and following winter vernalization, plants flower, set seed, and die.
• S/L perennials: plants that generally do not live more than 2 years.

Virus Key

Weed Information

Anonymous 1975. Nebraska weeds. State of Nebraska, Department of Agriculture, Weed Division. Lincoln, Nebraska.

Brako, L., Rossman, A.Y., and Farr, D.F. 1995. Scientific and common names of 7,000 vascular plants in the United States. APS Press, St. Paul, MN.

Muenscher, W.C. 1987. Weeds, with a new forward and new appendixes by Peter A. Hyypio. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.

Uva, R.H., Neal, J.C., and DiTomaso, J.M. 1997. Weeds of the Northeast. Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State St.,Ithaca, NY. (607)277-2211

Virus Information

Brunt, A.A., Crabtree, K., and Gibbs, A.J. 1990. Viruses of tropical plants. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.

Brunt, A.A., Crabtree, K., Dallwitz, M.J., Gibbs, A.J., Watson, L. and Zurcher, E.J. (eds.) (1996 onwards). “Plant Viruses Online: Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database.

Edwardson, J.R., and Christie, R.G. 1986. Viruses infecting forage legumes. Volumes I-III. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Monogram Series 14. Gainesville, FL.

Edwardson, J.R., and Christie, R.G. 1991. The potyvirus group. Volumes I-IV. Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Monograph 16. Gainesville, FL.

More information/prepared by:

Thomas A. Zitter
Professor Emeritus, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
School of Integrative Plant Science
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cornell University
taz1@cornell.edu

Margaret Tuttle McGrath
Associate Professor
Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center (LIHREC)
Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
School of Integrative Plant Science
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cornell University
mtm3@cornell.edu