CUCUMBER MOSAIC, A POTYVIRUS AND A CARLAVIRUS FROM DIMORPHOTHECA SINUATA

Plants of Dimorphotheca sinuata, a Composite grown as a bedding plant in Liguria, North West Italy, showing mosaic, leaf distortion and stunting, were found to be infected by cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV), lettuce mosaic potyvirus (LMV), possibly a second unidentified potyvirus, and by a carlavirus serologically related to carnation latent, cactus virus 2, helenium virus S and red clover vein mosaic viruses. Only CMV was present in all plants tested. CMV, LMV and the carlavirus were inoculated separately to healthy D. sinuata seedlings, on which each virus caused different symptoms.