Abstract
A large number of potyvirus isolates currently classified as strains of sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) are reported to infect maize, sorghum, and sugarcane in various parts of the world, although isolates originating in maize have been frequently referred to as strains of maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV). The taxonomic status and the serological interrelationships of these strains have never been clearly defined. In this paper we have compared 17 SCMV/MDMV strains from Australia and the United States on the basis of their reactivities, in electro-blot immunoassay, with cross-absorbed polyclonal antibodies directed towards surface-located, virus-specific N-termini of coat proteins. Our results clearly demonstrate that the 17 SCMV/MDMV strains belong to four distinct potyviruses for which the names Johnsongrass mosaic virus (SCMV-JG and MDMV-O), maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV-A, MDMV-D, MDMV-E, and MDMV-F), sugarcane mosaic virus (MDMV-B, SCMV-A, SCMV-B, SCMV-D, SCMV-E, SCMV-SC, SCMV-BC, and SCMV-Sabi), and sorghum mosaic virus (SCM-H, SCMV-I, and SCMV-M) have been proposed.