Elimination of Tobacco rattle virus from viruliferous Paratrichodorus allius in greenhouse pot experiments through cultivation of castle russet

Corky ringspot (CRS) is a widespread potato tuber necrotic disease caused by Tobacco rattle virus (TRV) infection. In the Pacific Northwest, this virus is transmitted by the stubby root nematode (SRN) within the genus Paratrichodorus. Remediating CRS affected fields is a major challenge that can be mitigated by growing plant varieties that are resistant to TRV infection. Growing alfalfa has been shown to reduce TRV levels in CRS infested fields over time but the development of a potato cultivar with these same capabilities would be of great economic benefit to potato growers. Castle Russet is a new potato clone that does not develop symptoms of CRS disease. To assess its ability to reduce soil virus load, Castle Russet, tobacco var. “Samsun NN”, alfalfa var. “Vernema”, and Russet Burbank potato were grown for a period of 1 to 3 months in soils containing viruliferous SRN populations at two different inoculation pressures (60 nematodes/pot and 1060 nematodes/pot) in greenhouse pot experiments. SRN population size and the presence of TRV were assessed over several months post inoculation. Results indicate that plant host and length of exposure significantly influence SRN population dynamics, whereas the TRV infection status of bait plants was significantly affected by both of these factors as well as inoculation pressure. These results suggest that both alfalfa var. “Vernema” and Castle Russet are resistant to TRV infection and may potentially be used to eliminate the virus from fields affected by CRS.