Horizontal pollen transmission of Gentian ovary ring-spot virus is initiated during penetration of the stigma and style by infected pollen tubes.

Gentian ovary ring-spot virus (GORV) infected gentian plants by pollination with GORV-infected gentian pollen grains, but the virus was not horizontally transmitted to gentian plants by transfer of pollen from GORV-infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants. However, N. benthamiana plants were infected with the virus by pollination with infected gentian pollen as well as by pollination with infected N.