Seed Transmission Rates of Bean pod mottle virus and Soybean mosaic virus in Soybean May Be Affected by Mixed Infection or Expression of the Kunitz Trypsin Inhibitor

Abstract

To facilitate their spread, plant viruses have developed several methods for dispersal including insect and seed transmission. While insect transmission requires virus stability against insect digestion, seed-transmitted viruses have to overcome barriers to entry into embryos. Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) is transmitted through seed at levels typically below 0.1%, but co-infection with Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) enhanced the seed transmission rate of BPMV in one experiment. In contrast, the rate of SMV seed transmission was not affected by BPMV co-infection. In a second preliminary study, the rate of SMV transmission was lower in an isoline of Williams 82 that contained a null mutation for the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor gene than in Williams 82. In this preliminary study, we observed that factors such as protease inhibitor expression and dual infection may affect the frequency of seed transmission of BPMV and SMV.