Rice yellow mottle virus is seed-borne but not seed transmitted in rice seeds

Seed transmission of two pathogroups of rice yellow mottle virus from Souda no-Sahelian areas of West Africa was studied in several rice genotypes. The virus was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the highly sus ceptible rice variety BG 90-2 was used for infectivity assays. In most of t he rice genotypes studied (17 out of 21), rice yellow mottle virus was dete cted in all seed parts including glumella, endosperm and embryo at a rate r anging from 65 to 100%. Nevertheless, no seed-borne infection was found. In fectivity of the virus decreased throughout the process of seed formation s uggesting inactivation of the virus as a result of seed maturation and desi ccation. It was concluded that rice yellow mottle epidemics do not develop from seed-borne infections in rice seeds.