The expanding menagerie of Prunus-infecting luteoviruses.

peer reviewedMembers of the genus Luteovirus are responsible for economically destructive plant diseases worldwide. Over the past few years, three luteoviruses infecting Prunus trees have been characterized. However, the biological properties, prevalence, and genetic diversity of those viruses have not yet been studied. High throughput sequencing of samples of various wild, cultivated, and ornamental Prunus species enabled the identification of four novel species in the genus Luteovirus for which we obtained complete or nearly complete genomes. Besides, we identified another new putative species recovered from Sequence Read Archive data. Furthermore, we conducted a survey on peach-infecting luteoviruses in eight European countries. Analyses of 350 leaf samples collected from germplasm, production orchards, and private gardens showed that peach-associated luteovirus (PaLV), nectarine stem pitting-associated virus (NSPaV), and a novel luteovirus, peach-associated luteovirus 2 (PaLV2), are present in all countries, while the most prevalent virus was NSPaV, followed by PaLV. An analysis of the genetic diversity of these viruses was also conducted. Moreover, the biological indexing on GF305 peach indicator plants demonstrated that PaLV and PaLV2, like NSPaV, are transmitted by graft at relatively low rates. No clear viral symptoms have been observed either in graft-inoculated GF305 indicators, or in different peach tree varieties observed in an orchard. The data generated during this study provide a broader overview of the genetic diversity, geographical distribution and prevalence of peach-infecting luteoviruses, and suggest these viruses are likely asymptomatic in peach under most circumstances