Abstract
ALTHOUGH potato virus X is the most widely distributed of the potato viruses, there is considerable uncertainty about its method of transmission. No insect has been found to act as a vector, and the only way in which it is known to spread is by contact between healthy and infected plants. This was first demonstrated by Loughnane and Murphy1,2, who concluded that it resulted solely from leaf contact, and that there was no danger of spread occurring below ground. Experiments at Rothamsted have confirmed that spread occurs only when plants are in contact, and that leaf contact alone is sufficient; but the results also suggest that root contact is equally important.
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Loughnane, J. B., and Murphy, P. A., Nature, 141, 120 (1938).
Loughnane, J. B., and Murphy, P. A., Sci. Proc. Roy. Dublin Soc., n.s., 22, 1 (1938).
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ROBERTS, F. Underground Spread of Potato Virus X. Nature 158, 663 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158663b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/158663b0
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