SOLANUM VIARUM - WEED RESERVOIR OF PLANT-VIRUSES IN FLORIDA

Solanum viarum Dunal (tropical soda apple), an introduced and rapidly spreading weed, currently infests over 60 000 ha in Florida. Approxima tely 220 plants were sampled in seven stands of S. viarum in south-wes t and west central Florida during 1992 and 1993 to determine the occur rence of nine viruses which can infect solanaceous crops. Virus detect ion utilized a double antibody sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent as say, or a nucleic acid spot hybridization assay. The vi ruses detected included cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potato leaf roll virus (PLRV), potato virus Y (PVY), tobacco etch virus (TEV), tomato mosaic virus (T oMV), and tomato mottle virus (TMoV). Transmission of PVY and ToMV fro m S. viarum produced a range of symptoms in pepper, tobacco, and tomat o. Isolates of TEV from pepper, and PVY and TMoV from tomato were tran smitted to S. viarum. Solanum viarum was also naturally infected in th e field by Alternaria solani Sorauer, and infested by colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decenlineata Say).