NATURAL INFECTION OF CUCUMBER MOSAIC-VIRUS ON DIANTHUS-BARBATUS IN INDIA

Cucumber mosaic virus (serologically closely related to strains CMV-C and CMV-D) is reported for the first time as a natural infection of Di anthus barbatus causing leaf crinkle and stunting of plants. It was me chanically transmitted to healthy D. barbatus and Vaccaria pyramidata (Caryophyllaceae) and to other herbaceous test plants, and was also ap hid-transmissible from D. barbatus to D. barbatus. A convenient host f or multiplication and purification of the virus was Nicotiana rustica. The presence of CMV was confirmed in D. barbatus and also in V. pyram idata by Western immunoblotting, but the concentration was too low in both the hosts to detect the virus by agar double diffusion tests.