Some properties of Cucumber mosaic virus and a potfvirus isolated from Freesia

Freesia, a member of the Iridaceae family, has fragant, tubular shaped flowers and is very popular ornamental plants in the world. Diseased freesia plants showing systemic leaf streak mosaic symptoms were collected from a cultivated farm in Kyonggi province, Korea in 2003, and its causal agents were investigated. Two viruses, Cucumber mosaic virus (Fr-CMV) and a potyvirus, were identified from the leaf tissues of the diseased freesia based on sequence analysis and host range tests. CMV-Fr could infect systemically on Chenopodium quinoa, C. amaranticolor, N. glutinosa, and N. benthamiana, and this biological property is distinguishable from ordinary strains of CMV. A filamentous potyvirus-shaped virus could not infect general indicator plants by mechanical inoculation. Single RT-PCR products was successfully amplified with a set of degenerate primers specific to the Potyvirus genus and total nucleic acids from the infected tissues, and was cloned into the pGEMT-Easy vector. Nucleotide sequences confirmed it belongs to the Potyvirus genus with either a new species or an isolate of Freesia mosaic virus (no information is available for the FrMV). This is the first report of FrMV in Korea and more characterizations of the two viruses are in progress.