Control of sweet potato virus diseases.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is ranked seventh in global food crop production and is the third most important root crop after potato and cassava. Sweet potatoes are vegetative propagated from vines, root slips (sprouts), or tubers. Therefore, virus diseases can be a major constrain, reducing yields markedly, often more than 50%.

Viruses in sweetpotato.

Sweetpotato in the Mediterranean is mainly grown in Egypt, Spain, Portugal, and Israel. Yields vary from 34 tons/ha in Israel to 7.8 tons/ha in Portugal.

Viruses of potato.

Potatoes are an important crop in Mediterranean countries both for local consumption and for export to other countries, mainly during the winter. Many Mediterranean countries import certified seed potato in addition to their own seed production. The local seeds are mainly used for planting in the autumn and winter, while the imported seed are used for early and late spring plantings.

Tomato plants transformed with the inhibitor-of-virus-replication gene are partially resistant to Botrytis cinerea.

Tomato plants transformed with a cDNA clone encoding the inhibitor-of-virus-replication (IVR) gene were partially resistant to Botrytis cinerea. This resistance was observed as a significant reduction in the size of lesions induced by the fungus in transgenic plants compared with the lesions on the nontransgenic control plants. This resistance was weakened when plants were kept at an elevated temperature, 32 degrees C, before inoculation with B.