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Disease Detection and Losses

Application of the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detecting Viruses in Soybean Seed and Plants.. Richard M. Lister, Professor, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907; Phytopathology 68:1393-1400. Accepted for publication 5 May 1978. Copyright © 1978 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-68-1393.

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test procedure easily detected tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) or soybean mosaic virus (SMV) in individual soybean seed, to 1/2,500 and 1/160 (w/v) dilutions, respectively, of seed extracts made in a phosphate-buffered saline containing polyvinyl pyrrolidone (MW 40,000). Sensitivity for detection of the viruses in leaf extracts relative to seed extracts was similar for TRSV and about four times greater for SMV. The results indicated that both viruses also would be detectable in extracts from seed batches containing low proportions of infected seed: less than 1% for TRSV and about 2-4% for SMV. Germination significantly improved the sensitivity of such tests with SMV. The ELISA tests may be widely applicable in testing seed for viruses, especially with large-seeded species such as legumes and cereals. Testing seedlings instead of seed could further broaden applicability to other systems.