Seasonal development
and life cycle—Mosaic viruses
For the most part, mosaic viruses that infect potatoes are transmitted by aphids. They feed on the sap
of infected plants and transmit the virus to healthy plants. Nearby weeds may also serve as alternate
hosts for the virus. Potato tubers are probably the primary overwintering reservoir of these viruses.
Other viruses with no known insect vector may be carried in tubers and transmitted mechanically by machinery,
root-to-root contact, sprout-to-sprout contact, or seed-cutting equipment. |
Plant
infected with potato mosaic virus
|
