Authors
T.
Mahmood
and
G. L.
Hein
,
University of Nebraska, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff 69361
; and
R. C.
French
,
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 68583
ABSTRACT
Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) is transmitted by the wheat curl mite (WCM), Aceria tosichella. Immunofluorescent and dot-immunobinding assays were developed to detect the presence of WSMV in single WCM. Virus-specific immunofluorescent microscopy detected WSMV near the anterior end of viruliferous WCM. With dot-immunobinding assay, WSMV was detected in WCM fed on WSMV-infected wheat (Triticum aestivum) but not in WCM maintained on healthy plants. Both immunofluorescent and dot-immunobinding assays were sufficiently sensitive to detect WSMV in individual WCM, providing a means to determine the percentage of viruliferous WCM in field collections.
