Increase in cucumber mosaic virus concentration in Japanese radish plants co-infected with turnip mosaic virus.

Abstract

Dual infection of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) causes a severe mosaic disease in Japanese radish plants. This paper deals with the interactions between these viruses in radish plants. TuMV caused mild mosaic symptoms of Japanese radish plants by itself, but CMV did not. Plants inoculated with both viruses displayed more severe mosaic symptoms than plants inoculated only with TuMV. Indirect ELISA tests indicated that CMV accumulation was significantly enhanced in the presence of TuMV, but TuMV levels were little affected by co-infection with CMV. The enhanced accumulation of CMV in plants infected with TuMV as well as CMV was evident in systemically infected leaves rather than the inoculated cotyledons and this suggested that systemic transport and spread of CMV in radish plants were enhanced in the presence of TuMV.