Interception of Pea seed-borne mosaic virus in pea germplasm imported during 2003

The quarantine processing of pea (Pisum sativum L.) germplasm accessions imported into India in 2003 from Bulgaria (5), Eritrea (2), Taiwan (1) and USA (10) revealed the presence of Pea seed-borne mosaic virus (PSbMV) in all the accessions. Virological testing methods employed included visual inspection, growing-on test, infectivity test, double antibody sandwich - enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) and dot immunobinding assay (DIBA). Infection of the seed lead to split seed coat symptoms in 3 accessions from USA, all of which were found ELISA positive against PSbMV. Typical downward rolling symptom on young leaves was observed in seedlings of all 18 accessions during growing-on test. Vein clearing and mosaic symptoms were observed in 2 accessions. In 5 accessions, flowering was either delayed or did not take place and in one accession (EC530809) there was no seed formation in the pods. PSbMV was successfully transmitted to healthy seedlings of pea cv. Bonneville through sap inoculations and was detected in all 18 accessions by DAS-ELISA. Results in DIBA further confirmed the presence of PSbMV. All the 18 pea accessions were rejected and destroyed due to the presence of PSbMV.