• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.79-83
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• 2021

The aim of the present study was to develop a sensitive and specific detection method for the rapid detection of apple scar skin viroid (ASSVd) in apple leaves. The resulting reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay can be completed in 10 min at 42℃, is 10 times more sensitive than conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and can specifically amplify ASSVd without any cross-reactivity with other common apple viruses, including apple stem grooving virus, apple stem pitting virus, and apple chlorotic leaf spot virus. The reliability of the RT-RPA assay was assessed, and the findings suggested that it can be successfully utilized to detect ASSVd in field-collected samples. The RT-RPA assay developed in the present study provides a potentially valuable means for improving the detection of ASSVd in viroid-free certification programs, especially in resource-limited conditions.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.326-330
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• 2010

Three pome fruit viruses, Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), Apple stem grooving virus (ASPV) and Apple stem pitting virus (ASGV) were detected in pear trees (Pyrus pyrifolia) using double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) in Ansung, Naju and Ulsan provinces of Korea. Infection rate of three viruses was 35.2% from 452 leaf samples of the three cultivars of pear trees. Also, each of three viruses was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for a limited number of samples. Infection rate of three viruses was 86.3% from 233 leaf samples of the three pear cultivars. The virus infection rates by RT-PCR were much higher than ELISA. ASGV was prevailing on pear with 74.2%, whereas ASPV and ACLSV were found in 34.8% and 0.4% of tested samples, respectively. Symptoms caused by ASGV showed black spots of infected Niitaka cultivar leaves. The ACLSV, ASPV and ASGV isolates showed 83~94% sequence identity at a nucleotide level to other pome fruit virus isolates when analyzed by NCBI BLAST. Pome fruit viruses occurring in pear were ACLSV, ASPV and ASGV. This is the first report of pear trees infected ASPV in Korea.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.429-434
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• 2015

Apple blotch-like symptoms (ABLS) were observed on 'Fuji' apple leaves in Cheongsong, Gunwi and Yeongcheon apple orchards located in Gyeongbuk Province during 2010-2014. Characteristics of ABLS were yellowing, brown spots on leaves, and defoliation, similar to apple blotch diseased (ABD) leaves, which are infected with Marssonina coronaria. It is difficult to differentiate by eye between ABLS and ABD, which has led to misdiagnosis and overuse of fungicides. The present study was conducted to investigate the cause of ABLS using stereomicroscopy, culture isolation, cross-sectional analysis of leaves, and PCR. No acervuli were found on the surface of ABLS leaves and no growth was observed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates in culture. Furthermore, cross-sectional analysis revealed similar results, and mycelia were absent in ABLS leaves. By contrast, all these characteristics were present in ABD leaves. Furthermore, no fungi or viruses were detected in ABLS leaves by PCR, suggesting that the disease is not caused by these agents. These findings suggest that ABLS might be a physiological disorder in plants that is distinct from ABD.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.417-422
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• 2022

Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) is a destructive viral pathogen of pome fruit trees that causes significant losses to fruit production worldwide. Obtaining ASGV-free propagation materials is essential to reduce economic losses, and accurate and sensitive detection methods to screen ASGV-free plantlets during in vitro propagation are urgently necessary. In this study, ASGV was sensitively and accurately quantified from in vitro propagated apple plantlets using a reverse transcription droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR) assay. The optimized RT-ddPCR assay was specific to other apple viruses, and was at least 10-times more sensitive than RT-real-time quantitative PCR assay. Furthermore, the optimized RT-ddPCR assay was validated for the detection and quantification of ASGV using micropropagated apple plantlet samples. This RT-ddPCR assay can be utilized for the accurate quantitative detection of ASGV infection in ASGV-free certification programs, and can thus contribute to the production of ASGV-free apple trees.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.04a
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• pp.52-52
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• 2018

Apple (Malus domestica) is one of the most economically important fruits in Korea. But virus infection has decreased sustainable production of apple and caused the serious problems such as yield loss and poor fruit quality. Virus or viroid infection including Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), Apple stem pitting virus (ASPV), Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV) and Apple scar skin viroid (ASSVd) has been also reported in Korea, furthermore, its damages and economic losses have increased constantly. In our research, we tried to survey virus infection for commercial nursery trees of major apple cultivars, especially dwarfing rootstocks 'M.9' and 'M.26' as well as scions. Trees were collected from 11 locations which have produced a great amount of apple nursery stocks in Korea. Infection degree was investigated in apple cultivars, 'Hongro' and 'Fuji' using RT-PCR method. In the scion of cultivar 'Hongro', infection ratio of ACLSV, ASPV and ASGV were 100%, 81.8% and 100% respectively. In the rootstock of cultivar 'Hongro', infection ratio of ACLSV, ASPV, ASGV and ApMV were 90.9%, 81.8%, 100% and 9.1% respectively. In the scion of cultivar 'Fuji', infection ratio of ACLSV, ASPV and ASGV were 81.8%, 90.9% and 100% respectively. In the rootstock of cultivar 'Fuji', infection ratio of ACLSV, ASPV, ASGV and ApMV were 81.8%, 90.9%, 100% and 9.1% respectively. Infection of ASSVd was not detected in both cultivars. From our results, it was found that most of apple rootstocks and scions had multiple infections by apple viruses which have caused economic damage in fruit production.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.142-146
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• 2004

Woody plant tissues contain great amounts of phenolic compounds and polysaccharides. These substances inhibit the activation of reverse transcriptase and/or Taq polymerase in RT-PCR. The commonly used multiple-step protocols using several additives to diminish polyphenolic compounds during nucleic acid extraction are time consuming and laborious. In this study, sodium sulfite was evaluated as an additive for nucleic acid extraction from woody plants and the efficiency of RT-PCR assay of commercial nucleic acid extraction kits and small-scale dsRNA extraction was compared. Sodium sulfite was used as an inhibitor against polyphenolic oxidases and its effects were compared in RNA extraction by commercial extraction kit and small-scale double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) extraction method for RT-PCR. During nucleic acid extraction, addition of 0.5%-1.5%(w/v) of sodium sulfite to lysis buffer or STE buffer resulted in lighter browning by oxidation than extracts without sodium sulfite and improved the RT-PCR detection. When commercial RNA extraction kit was used, optimal concentrations of sodium sulfite were variable according to the tested plant. However, with dsRNA as RT-PCR template, sodium sulfite 1.5% in STE buffer improved the detection efficiency of Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV) and Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) in fruit trees, and reduced the unspecific amplifications signi-ficantly. Furthermore, when viruses existed at low titers in host plant, small-scale dsRNA extractions were very reliable.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.193-199
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• 2023

The apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) is one of the most harmful latent viruses infecting pear orchards worldwide. To examine the genetic diversity of ASGV in Korean pear orchards, the complete coat protein (CP) gene of five ASGV isolates collected from various regions were identified. The five Korean ASGV isolates showed 88-96% nucleotide identity with the 11 isolates worldwide occurring elsewhere in the world. Phylogenetic analysis of five isolates, as well as the previously sequenced isolates, indicated that the ASGV clusters had no correlation with the host or geographical regions of origin. Recombination analysis showed that one of the five Korean isolates is a recombinant, with a recombination site in the CP gene region (nt 532-708). This study is the first report of natural recombination within the CP gene of ASGV isolates from pears grown in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.195-199
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• 2014

Apple stem pitting virus (ASPV), of the Foveavirus genus in the family Betaflexiviridae, is one of the most common viruses of apple and pear trees. To examine variability of the coat protein (CP) gene from ASPV, eight isolates originating from 251 apple trees, which were collected from 22 apple orchards located in intensive apple growing areas of the North Gyeongsang and North Jeolla Provinces in Korea, were sequenced and compared. The nucleotide sequence identity of the CP gene of eight ASPV isolates ranged from 77.0 to 97.0%, while the amino acid sequence identity ranged from 87.7 to 98.5%. The N-terminal region of the viral CP gene was highly variable, whereas the C-terminal region was conserved. Genetic algorithm recombination detection (GARD) and single breakpoint recombination (SBP) analyses identified base substitutions between eight ASPV isolates at positions 54 and 57 and position 771, respectively. GABranch analysis was used to determine whether the eight isolates evolved due to positive selection. All values in the GABranch analysis showed a ratio of substitution rates at non-synonymous and synonymous sites (dNS/dS) below 1, suggestive of strong negative selection forces during ASPV CP history. Although negative selection dominated CP evolution in the eight ASPV isolates, SLAC and FEL tests identified four possible positive selection sites at codons 10, 22, 102, and 158. This is the first study of the ASPV genome in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.445-450
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• 2018

Bacteriophages, bacteria-infecting viruses, have been recently reconsidered as a biological control tool for preventing bacterial pathogens. Erwinia amylovora and E. pyrifoliae cause fire blight and black shoot blight disease in apple and pear, respectively. In this study, the bacteriophage phiEaP-8 was isolated from apple orchard soil and could efficiently and specifically kill both E. amylovora and E. pyrifoliae. This bacteriophage belongs to the Podoviridae family. Whole genome analysis revealed that phiEaP-8 carries a 75,929 bp genomic DNA with 78 coding sequences and 5 tRNA genes. Genome comparison showed that phiEaP-8 has only 85% identity to known bacteriophages at the DNA level. PhiEaP-8 retained lytic activity up to $50^{\circ}C$, within a pH range from 5 to 10, and under 365 nm UV light. Based on these characteristics, the bacteriophage phiEaP-8 is novel and carries potential to control both E. amylovora and E. pyrifoliae in apple and pear.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.533-540
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• 2022

Thunberg fritillary (Fritillaria thunbergii), a perennial used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, is a members of the family Liliaceae. The degeneration of germplasm is a severe problem in the production of Fritillaria thunbergii var. chekiangensis. However, no information about viral infections of F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis has been reported. In this study, we sequenced the small RNAs of F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis from leaves and bulbs, and viruses were identified using a phylogenetic analysis and BLAST search for sequence. In addition, multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to rapidly detect viruses in this variety. Our study first reported that five viruses infected F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis. Among them, fritillary virus Y (FVY), lily mottle virus (LMoV), Thunberg fritillary mosaic virus (TFMV), and hop yellow virus (HYV) had been reported in F. thunbergii, while apple stem grooving virus was first reported in the genus Fritillaria. A multiplex RT-PCR method was developed to rapidly test the four viruses FVY, LMoV, TFMV, and HYV in F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis. Our results provide a better understanding of the infection of F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis by viruses and a basic reference for the better design of suitable control measures.