SEED INFECTION AND TRANSMISSION

OF PLANT VIRUSES

Speaker : Somesh Jha

Guide: Dr. B. N. Patel
Date: 13th July,2001
 Seed infection and transmission
of plant viruses
Introduction
Economic importance and significance
Seed
Seed infection
Why all plant viruses are not seed transmitted?
Types of viruses that are seed transmitted
Seed health research activities
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Seed - Basic input resource
Virus transmission through seed - Highly
significant in virus preservation and
spread.
Seed transmissible viruses - adverse effect
on seed and crop health
18% of known plant viruses are seed
transmitted
SYMPTOMS ON PODS AND SEEDS OF COWPEA
Economic importance
and
significance
 Economic imp. &
significance
Direct loss Barrier to
to seed & crop world trade

Epidemiological Seed transmission Introduction in

of
significance new area
viruses

Ecological significance

Perpetuation Perennation Dissemination

SYMPTOMS OF ULCV
SOME IMPORTANT SEED BORNE VIRUSES

Alfa- alfa mosaic Medicago sativa

Barley stripe mosaic Hordeum vulgare
Triticum aestivum
Bean common mosaic Phaseolus vulgaris
Vigna unguiculata
Bean southern mosaic P. vulgaris
Brinjal mosaic Solanum melongena
SYMPTOM OF CABMV ON COWPEA
 Contd…

Citrus mosaic Citrus sinensis

Cowpea mild mottle V. unguiculata
Glycine max
Cucumber green mottle mosaic Cucumis sativus
Lagenaria siceraria
Maize dwarf mosaic Zea mays
Pea seed borne mosaic Pisum sativum
Peanut clump Arachis hypogaea
Potato X S. tuberosum
ULCV ON COWPEA

SYMPTOM
Contd…

Soyabean mosaic G. max

Tobacco etch Nicotiana tabacum
Tobacco ring spot N. glutinosa
Urdbean leaf crinkle P. aureus
Wheat streak mosaic Zea mays
 ULCV ON MUNGBEAN

S
Y
M
P
T
O
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S
 Seed structure
Seed A fragile, living organism – a miracle of life

corn (monocot seed)

 Seed structure

Bean (Dicot seed)

 Seed infection
VIRUS CARRIED ON THE SURFACE OF SEEDS

e.g. TMV Remains viable as contaminant

Seedling infection

Mechanical transmission during handling

 VIRUS CARRIED IN PARTS OF SEED
OUTSIDE THE EMBRYO
BYMV & CMV Testa & Endosperm
Sugarbeet Curly Top Virus Perisperm

Very few of such viruses result in seed transmission

Southern bean Mosaic Sobemovirus

IPCV Virus present only in cotyledons and
embryo Seed transmission
Reddy et al., (1998)
Seed Formation
 EMBRYO INFECTION
Three Ways
Through introduction of virus into the embryo sac by
the male gametophyte

Germination Pollen tube grows

Infected pollen grain into Embryo Sac
Release
male gametes Union
ct e d with
Infe mete (if infected) polar
Infected Union with ga nuclei
embryo egg cell
Infected Endosperm
e.g. Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV) & Alfa-alfa Mosaic Virus (AMV)
SYMPTOMS
 Through ovule invasion by virus from the mother plant

Adjacent cells
Virus Developing
of mother Infected
ovule in early
plant ovule
stage
(Infected)
e.g. Soybean Mosaic Potyvirus (SMV) route of Soybean
embryo infection by invasion of the ovules
Dong Hong Ping et al., (1997)
COLOUR DISCOLOURATION DUE TO
SMV

SOYBEAN SEEDS
 Through direct invasion of the embryo

Inoculation Infected
after embryo
flowering
e.g. PSbMV
Location Testa, Cotyledons Transmission Embryonic axis
BCMV & Embryonic
in bean & Cotyledons
axis
Bravo and Pineda (1996)
 Why all plant viruses are not seed
transmitted ?
Factors preventing virus passage
through seed to the next generation

Inactivation of virus in the embryo Medium

Embryo High energy Low Unfavorable
Phosphates Conc
No virus increase
Sterility of infected gametes

Direct Gametes or Infected seeds

Virus lethal effects prevented
embryo
 Inability of virus to infect young embryo
Embryo

Virus restricted to No embryo

No vascular connection infection
Vascular System

Mother plant

Protection of the embryo from virus infection

Interposition of No movement of
structures between Embryo escapes
the mother plant infection
virus
& embryo
Other factors
Environmental factors
Host plant and virus
Nematode trans. Virus Seed trans.
e.g. tomato black ring virus
Listler and Murant (1967)

Longevity of Virus in seed

Varies one month (Dodder Latent Mosaic)
to >six years (Barley Stripe Mosaic) Scott (1961)
Types of viruses that
are seed transmitted
Types of viruses that are seed
transmitted
Certain general characteristics
Most are readily sap transmissible
Transmitted by certain types of vectors
e.g. Several non-persistent aphid transmitted viruses
Nematode transmitted viruses
Listler and Murant (1967)
 Contd…

Three points of plant reproduction which

extrapolate virus trans. through seeds
A relatively long term conductive (embryo-supportive)
function is ascribed to the developing suspensor

Infected Virions/ Developing

suspensor embryo
maternal tissue Viral RNA
 Contd..
Cross-communicative interaction between nuceller/integument
cells & the endosperm and between the endosperm &
interfacing embryo cells during embryogenesis.

Integument
VIRUS PASSAGE Endosperm
transfer cells
Cellular/biochemical factors interacting with virions or viral RNA

Embryo
invasion
Interactive signal
Viral Host-plant
genome genome
 Rate of seed transmission of some
plant viruses
Chickpea 0.1-1.0 % 0.1-2.0 % Jones and Coutts (1995)
AMV CMV
Lentil 0.1-5.0 % 0.1-2.0 % Australia

Soybean 12.6 % (mild mosaic sym.) SMVKim Yul Ho et al., (1997)

14.1 % (severe mos. sym.) Korea Republic

Mung bean 2.0-16.0 % Mahajan and Joi (1999)

ULCV
Urd bean 1.16-11.0% Rahuri, India

Pea 1.9-32.7 % (PSbMV) Gallo and Jurik (1995)

(Diff. Cult.) Slovak Republic
Tomato 1.0-17.0 % (ToMV)
Chitra et al., (1999)
Bell Pepper 1.0-10.0 % (TMV) India
 Contd..

Physalis minima 1.17 % Rajkumar and Jitender

Solanum nigrum 2.20 % LMV Mohan (1994), U.P.,
Nicotiana plumbaginifolia 4.70 %
India
Cowpea 7.0-32.0 % 1.0-4.7% 1.0-3.0 % Nain et al., (1994)
(V. unguiculata) BLCMV CPMV CPMMV Hissar, India

Cowpea 3.0-25.0 % SBMV Makwana et al., (2000)

Cowpea 10.0-30.0% CAbMV Sheela et al., (2001)
Anand, India
 Seed health research activities

Several IARCs in the CGIAR system are working

ICARDA Effect of dry heat on lentil seeds
70° C
Heat treatment BBSV eliminated
Further plans with PSbMV and BYMV
CIP On PVT in true seeds

Reports
HW
Soybean SMV eliminated Ghufran-ul-Haque et al., (1993)
seeds 70° C Pakistan
L. siceraria DH CGMMV K.D. Hyun and Lee. J. Myung
75° C, 3 days
seeds inactivated
(2000), Korea Republic
 conclusion
Seed infection & transmission is related to host-pathogen
interactions. Only a minority of these interactions resulting in
infection also result in seed transmission
Even low rates of seed transmission in conjunction with secondary
spread by insect vectors can result in the introduction of viruses into
new area and can produce viral disease epidemics
Cytoplasmic connections between the mother plant and flower and
then developing seeds may influence the seed infection

In terms of world trade, seed-borne viruses act as barrier. Hence,

detection of seed-borne viruses has to play an important role in
quarantine.