Potato leafroll virus detection by RT-PCR in field-collected aphids

A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was applied to analyze green peach aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer) collected from yellow-pan traps between 1988 and 1994, from New Brunswick commercial potato fields, for potato leafroll virus (PLRV). The RT-PCR technique was also used to assess the PLRV content ofMyzus persicae Sulzer,Aphis nasturtii Kaltenbach, andMacrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas caught in yellow-pan traps from selected fields in 1995. RT-PCR bands specific for PLRV were detected in all three species, indicating that they all can acquire the virus. The usefulness of the RT-PCR procedure in determining the PLRV content of aphid catches and thus assisting in disease management recommendations is discussed.