Effect of Leaf Age on Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Severity and Chlorophyll Content with Mechanical Inoculation and Vector Transmission Method

A Joseph et al., 'Effect of Leaf Age on Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Severity and Chlorophyll Content with Mechanical Inoculation and Vector Transmission Method', Trends in Applied Sciences Research, vol. 6(12), pp.1345-1351, 2011

The physiological age of rice plant plays a significant role in Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) infection. Both flag and old leaves of rice plant differ in their susceptibility to RYMV infection. The present study was, therefore, carried out to examine the effect of leaf age on RYMV severity and chlorophyll content in Moroberekan cultivar with mechanical inoculation and vector transmission method. Border row rice seedlings mechanically inoculated with RYMV isolate at 21 days after sowing metamorphosed into infected rows, following which seeds of Moroberekan were sown 15 days after. Eighty adults each of Locris rubra and Oxya hyla were released onto the infected rows inside separate screenhouse to acquire and transmit the virus to the rice plant. In another trial, three-week old seedlings of Moroberekan were mechanically inoculated with the RYMV isolate. In both experiments, RYMV severity and chlorophyll content of flag and old leaves were assessed at 42, 56 and 70 days after sowing. The highest disease severity (61.65%) was observed in the old leaves of mechanically inoculated plants at 42 DAS while the least disease severity (22.97%) was recorded in the flag leaves of O. hyla inoculated plants at 70 DAS. The highest chlorophyll content (49.29%) was observed at 70 DAS while the least (12.71%) was recorded at 56 DAS. Findings of this study showed that flag leaves of Moroberekan rice cultivar are more susceptible to RYMV infection than older leaves.