A New Virus Disease of Peppers in Puerto Rico

Abstract

A previously undescribed virus, (VPLLT) causing mottling, chlorosis, leaf wrinkleness and retarded growth on Capsicum annuum varieties California Wonder", Blanco del País and P.R. Wonder, was isolated at the Agricultural Experiment Station 2 years ago. VPLLT is not inactivated by heating at 85° C, can be diluted to 1-100,000, and is still active after 14 days at room temperature (29° C). It is not serologically related to tobacco mosaic virus, tobacco severe etch virus, Puerto Rican pepper mosaic virus, tobacco ringspot virus, green mottle mosaic (cucumber #3) virus, squash mosaic virus, potato virus X, sugarcane mosaic virus, and MMV (Puerto Rico isolate) of squash mosaic virus. No transmission of VPLLT was obtained using the aphid species A. gossypii and M. persicae as vectors. The virus easily passes through a Millipore 0.45 µ  filter, and is not immunologically related to TMV or PRPMV. It was found that P.R. Wonder and Cuaresmeño hot pepper, two varieties highly-resistant to PRPMV, are fully susceptible to the VPLLT virus.