Serological Investigation of Virus Diseases of Pepper Plant (Capsicum annum L.) in Korea

혈청학적 방법에 의한 고추의 바이러스병 감염상 조사

A total of 163 virus infected pepper plants(Capsicum annuum L.) collected from various pepper growing regions in Korea were investigated on the presence of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potato virus X(PVX), potato virus Y(PVY) and alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) by serological methods. Van Slogteren's microprecipitin test was applied for the testing of TMV, PVX and PVY from infected plants, and Ouchterlony agar double diffusion test was used for CMV and AMV. Results obtained are as follows: 1. TMV, CMV, PVX, PVY and AMV were found to occur on the pepper plants growing in Korea. 2. The prevalence of each of these viruses among the 163 pepper plants investigated was in the order of CMV: 93 plants(57.0%)>TMV: 91 plants (55.8%)>AMV: 58 plants (35.6%)>PVY: 40 plants (24.5%)> PVX:6 plants(3.7%). 3. Among the 163 plants investigated, 72 plants (44%) showed infection with one kind of virus and 91 plants (56%) showed mixed infection with more than two different viruses. In general, heavier damage of the plants was observed from mixed infection. 4. The results of serological identification of pepper viruses coincided with those results obtained by sap inoculation experiment conducted at the Horticultural Experiment Station along with present investigation. Thus the serological techniques applied in this experiment proved to be very reliable for the identification of TMV, CMV, PVX, PVY and AMV from pepper plants infected with these viruses.