Potato virus Y (PVY) is the most serious problem facing the potato industry in the United States and is the main reason for not consuming seed potatoes. The virus infects potatoes in two ways: it reduces the yield of potato tubers by 70-80%, and also negatively affects the quality of the remaining tubers due to necrotic reactions
PVY covers a complex network of strains with a number of symptoms. Over the past 10 years, significant changes in the prevalence of various strains have been observed. PVY O, a non-recombinant strain dominating in the United States until 2012, has virtually disappeared, while two recombinant strains (associated with tuber damage) have spread. These strains, PVY N-Wi and PVY NTN, currently account for more than 90% of all PVY isolates found in potatoes.
In a webcast published on August 26, "Changing the Composition of the Potato Virus Y (PVY) Strain in US Potatoes," Alexander Karasev, Professor in the Department of Plant Virology at the University of Idaho discusses this shift in strain prevalence, drawing conclusions from experiments conducted during growing seasons in 2015 and 2016 years. His research shows that although three out of four types of potatoes resisted PVY O, none of them were able to resist PVY N-Wi.
These changes in the composition of PVY strains in potato fields have important implications for potato certification, potato breeding programs and diagnostic laboratories.
According to Karasev, more attention should be paid to laboratory tests, as visual symptoms are more difficult to see. In addition, commercial diagnostic kits should be able to detect these new strains.
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(Source: phys.org).