Abstract

A standard test procedure designed to maximise the likelihood of virus transmission was used to determine the frequency of transmission by Longidorus elongatus, Paralongidorus maximus and Xiphinema diversicaudatum of the Scottish strain of raspberry ringspot (RRV-S) and arabis mosaic (AMV) viruses. P. maximus failed to infect bait plants with RRV-S or AMV; L. elongatus transmitted RRV-S infrequently; X. diversicaudatum transmitted AMV in every test. Efficiency of transmission by these nematodes is compared with that of L. macrosoma for RRV-E . The efficiency of techniques used to determine virus transmission by nematodes is discussed.