Williford L A, Savelle A T, Scherm H
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
Plant Dis. 2016 Jan;100(1):171-174. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-04-15-0381-RE. Epub 2015 Oct 23.
Blueberry red ringspot virus (BRRV) has become prevalent in southern highbush blueberry in the southeastern United States but information about the yield effects associated with the disease is limited and conflicting. A 3-year study was conducted on mature, container-grown plants of 'Star' and 'Jewel' blueberry that were either systemically infected or not infected with BRRV to determine the effect of the disease on flower bud numbers and fruit yield and on advances or delays in fruit ripening. On Star, flower bud counts were lower for BRRV-positive plants (P = 0.0137 in one year and P = 0.1085 in another) but no such effect was observed for Jewel. When fruit were harvested over time during the ripening period in the spring, no consistent yield or berry weight reductions were observed due to BRRV infection for either cultivar. On Star, fruit maturity tended to be slightly advanced in BRRV-positive plants in all years. Specifically, the weight of unripe fruit remaining after the last harvest was consistently lower for BRRV-positive plants than for BRRV-negative plants, suggesting that BRRV infection in Star may lead to a shorter fruit ripening period. No such effect on fruit ripening was observed for Jewel. It is concluded that-for the cultivars examined in this study-BRRV causes a relatively benign infection with no negative yield implications.
蓝莓红环斑病毒（BRRV）已在美国东南部的南高丛蓝莓中普遍存在，但关于该病害对产量影响的信息有限且相互矛盾。对‘明星’和‘宝石’蓝莓的成熟盆栽植株进行了一项为期3年的研究，这些植株要么被BRRV系统感染，要么未被感染，以确定该病害对花芽数量、果实产量以及果实成熟提前或延迟的影响。对于‘明星’品种，BRRV阳性植株的花芽数量较少（一年中P = 0.0137，另一年中P = 0.1085），但对于‘宝石’品种未观察到这种影响。在春季果实成熟期间随着时间推移进行采收时，两个品种均未观察到因BRRV感染导致果实产量或浆果重量持续下降。对于‘明星’品种，所有年份中BRRV阳性植株的果实成熟往往略有提前。具体而言，最后一次采收后剩余的未成熟果实重量，BRRV阳性植株始终低于BRRV阴性植株，这表明‘明星’品种中BRRV感染可能导致果实成熟期缩短。对于‘宝石’品种，未观察到对果实成熟有这种影响。得出的结论是——对于本研究中所检测的品种——BRRV引起的感染相对良性，对产量没有负面影响。
