Mechanical Transmission, Identification, and Characterization of a Virus Associated with Mottle Leaf in Cherry

A closteroviruslike particle was mechanically sap-transmitted from sweet cherry (Prunus avium) to the herbaceous host Chenopodium quinoa. Successful transmission was achieved by grinding fresh symptomatic leaves of cherry in a buffer containing magnesium, sodium thioglycolate, and nicotine. Stunting and chlorotic spots were observed on the C. quinoa plants 17 days postinoculation. The virus purified from C. quinoa had a modal length of 760 nm, a width of 10.2 nm, and striations 3.1 nm in pitch. The nucleic acid size was estimated at 8.2 kb. The thermal inactivation point of the virus was 50-55 C, and the virus-containing sap remained infectious for only 24 hr when stored at room temperature (.)