SEROLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SOME STONE-FRUIT VIRUS ISOLATES

Abstract

Concentrated extracts of petals from trees infected with stone-fruit virus diseases, and of cucumber plants inoculated with viruses isolated from these trees, were tested serologically by the gel-diffusion technique with antisera prepared by injection of petal and cucumber plant preparations into rabbits. An antigen, antigen Q, was detected in two yellows, latent and recurrent necrotic ring spot, two green ring mottle isolates from sour cherry, a prune dwarf isolate, two tatter leaf of sweet cherry isolates, and isolates from latent infections of plum and peach. Another antigen, the V antigen, was detected in all the isolates with the exception of a latent necrotic ring spot isolate. A third antigen, antigen P, was detected only in the two yellows, recurrent necrotic ring spot, two green ring mottle isolates from sour cherry, a prune dwarf isolate, and two tatter leaf isolates from sweet cherry. Some differences between the Q antigens in certain isolates were demonstrated, but the V antigens differed little from isolate to isolate. The recurrent necrotic ring spot isolate was shown to contain at least two distinct viruses and the P antigen was associated with one of these viruses.