The citrus systemic diseases, including Huanglongbing (caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas)), tristeza virus (CTV)), tatter leaf (CTLV)), and exocortis viroid (CEVd)), are threats to production in Taiwan. Reliable diagnostic methods important for the management of these diseases. In this study, we developed a multiplex reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay...

Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) is a damaging pathogen attacking Argyranthemum plants. Our study attempted to reveal distribution patterns of CSVd in shoot apical meristems (SAM) and to explore reasons for differential ability of CSVd to invade SAM of selected Argyranthemum cultivars. Symptom development was also observed on greenhouse-grown Argyranthemum plants. Viroid localization using in ...

Viroids are the smallest agents known to be pathogenic to plants. Unlike viruses, they are devoid of a protective protein coat and are composed entirely of circular ribonucleic acid of low molecular weight (ca. 85,000-130,000 d. In spite of their small size, viroids cause serious diseases of avocado, chrysanthemum, citrus, coconut, cucumber, hop, potato and tomato. Although viroid diseases have...

Background and Aims: Viroids are smallest known plant pathogens and cause several economically significant diseases. Until recently, viroid detection relied mainly on biological tests and indexing. Today various diagnostic techniques such as nucleic acid hybridization, southern blot and reverse transcription coupled with polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) are being used for detection and diagno...