NATURAL INFECTION OF PETUNIA BY CHRYSANTHEMUM STUNT VIROID

A viroid that behaved similar to chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) dur ing return-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis has been detected in pet unia. Subsequent transmission studies as well as reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis showed that the viroi d is indeed a strain of CSVd. As long as the viroid is absent from pla nts used for vegetative propagation, it appears not to pose a serious threat to petunia cultivation.