BROAD BEAN MOTTLE VIRUS IN MOROCCO - CURCULIONID VECTORS, AND NATURALOCCURRENCE IN FOOD LEGUMES OTHER THAN FABA BEAN (VICIA-FABA)

Broad bean mottle virus (BBMV) was transmitted from infected to health y faba-bean plants by the curculionid weevils Apion radiolus Kirby, Hy pera variabilis Herbst, Pachytychius strumarius Gyll, Smicronyx cyaneu s Gyll, and Sitona lineatus L. The latter appeared to be an efficient vector: acquisition and inoculation occurred at the first bite, the ra te of transmission was c. 41%, and virus retention lasted for at least seven days. S. lineatus transmitted the virus from faba bean to lenti l and pea, but not to the three genotypes of chickpea tested. This is the first report on the genera Hypera, Pachytychius, and Smicronyx as virus vectors, and on A. radiolus, H. variabilis, P. strumarius, and S . cyaneus as vectors of BBMV. Out of 351 samples of food legumes with symptoms suggestive of virus infection, 16, 11, 19, and 17% of the sam ples of chickpea, lentil, pea, and common bean, respectively, were fou nd infected when tested for BBMV in DAS-ELISA. This is the first repor t on the natural occurrence of BBMV in chickpea, lentil, pea, and comm on bean. The virus should be regarded as a food-legume virus rather th an a faba-bean virus solely, and is considered an actual threat to foo d legume improvement programmes.