N. Habili et al., IDENTIFICATION OF A CDNA CLONE SPECIFIC TO GRAPEVINE LEAFROLL-ASSOCIATED VIRUS-1, AND OCCURRENCE OF THE VIRUS IN AUSTRALIA, Plant Pathology, 46(4), 1997, pp. 516-522
A cDNA clone derived from a leafroll infected low-yielding clone of Su
ltana grapevine (syn. Thompson Seedless, Sultanina) hybridized specifi
cally to dsRNA from a number of grapevine varieties that reacted with
grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 (GLRaV-1) antibody. The cDNA was
sequenced, and a set of specific primers was designed and used in a s
imple RT-PCR test using extracts from a range of grapevine varieties.
The same vines were also tested by Western blotting or ELISA to assess
the presence of GLRaV-1 coat protein. In every sample tested, the res
ults of PCR tests were consistent with those of Western blots and ELIS
A, indicating that the cDNA clone was specific to GLRaV-1. The occurre
nce of GLRaV-1 strongly correlated with the low-yielding character of
Sultana clones tested, suggesting that the virus may contribute to low
yields in some leafroll-infected Sultana clones. The optimum time for
detecting GLRaV-1 was determined to be early in summer. The DNA-based
detection procedure reported here provides an alternative to detectio
n by serology.