Inhibition of tobacco mosaic virus by the juice extracted from Chenopodium album plants

Abstract

The juices extracted from several species of plants which are susceptible to TMV, inhibited TMV infection when TMV and the juice were simultaneously inoculated on test plants. Among them, the juice from Chenopodium album plants showed a remarkable inhibition of TMV infection in N. glutinosa, but not in the original plant. The infectivity of the virus in the mixture of TMV and juice was partially recovered by dilution with distilled water. The inhibitory agent contained in C. album plants was stable to heat at 60°C for 10 minutes, and to incubation in 90% ethanol, in acid solution above pH 3, and in alkaline solution below pH 10 for 2 days. However, the inhibitor was thermolabile at 80°C and 100°C for 10 minutes, nondialyzable, and rendered inactive by adsorption with activated carbon, by incubation in highly acid or alkaline solutions, and by dilution 10-4 of the juice with distilled water. The inhibitor was tentatively precipitated by 50% and 90% ethanol, and by 50% saturated ammonium sulfate, An acquired resistance to the virus infection was not found to be induced by a previous application of the inhibitor in the leaves of N. glutinosa or French bean plants when these leaves or the extracts were examined for the inhibition.