First Report of Rose yellow vein virus in Rosa sp. in New Zealand

Rose is the top selling cut flower in New Zealand and is the most popular garden plant in the world. Several virus-like diseases have been described in roses, but the causal agents for many remain unknown. Most of the described viruses infecting rose belong to the genera Ilarvirus and Nepovirus. Only recently, a number of new viruses have been or are in the process of being characterized (1,2,3,4). In January 2011, 10 rose samples showing virus-like symptoms were collected from the Wanganui region on the North Island of New Zealand. Total nucleic acid was extracted from these samples using an InviMag Plant DNA Mini Kit (Invitek GmbH, Berlin, Germany) and a KingFisher mL workstation (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA). PCR and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was conducted using specific primers for Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Cherry leaf roll virus, Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), Rosa rugosa leaf distortion virus, Rose spring dwarf associated virus, Rose yellow leaf virus, Rose yellow mosaic virus, Ro...