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Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds - Mini Fact Sheet Edition

Papaya ringspot (virus-P) (194)

Photo 1. Leaf symptoms on leaves of papaya affected with Papaya ringspot virus - type P. Note the leaves with light yellow and green patches (mosaics), and the deformed leaf on the left.

Photo 2. Dark green stripes on leaf stalks of papaya, caused by Papaya ringspot virus - type P.

Photo 3. Ringspots on papaya fruits, caused by Papaya ringspot virus - type P.

Summary

Worldwide distribution. On papaya and cucurbits. An important disease.
Leaves with yellow and green patterns, distorted, small. Older leaves with dark green streaks on the stalks. Ringspots on the fruit.
Spread by (i) aphids, (ii) the trade in nursery plants.
Cultural control: remove volunteer papaya; restrict people entering plantations; remove disease trees in new plantations, and those in old blocks; netting; resistant varieties offer best (only) solution.
Chemical control. not appropriate as aphids pick up virus from disease plants and spread it to healthy trees before insecticides kill them.

Common Name

Papaya ringspot (virus-P)

Scientific Name

Papaya ringspot potyvirus-P. The abbreviation for this virus is PRSV. There is another strain of this virus called Papaya ringspot virus-W. These two strains are very similar, except that type PRSV-W does not infect papaya; it infects cucurbits. Previously, the strain infesting cucurbits was known as Watermelon mosaic virus-1.

AUTHOR Grahame Jackson
Information from Davis RI, Ruabete TK (2010) Records of plant pathogenic viruses and virus-like agents from 22 Pacific island countries and territories: a review and an update. Australasian Plant Pathology 39, 265-291; and from CABI (2018) Papaya ringspot virus Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/cpc/). Photo 1 George Wall, formerly CALS/AES University of Guam. Photo 2 Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Queensland.

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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