Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Papaya ringspot (virus-P) (194)


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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 CABI (2018) Papaya ringspot virus. Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/cpc/datasheet/45962); and DAF (2020) Papaya ringspot disease. Business Queensland. Queensland Government; and from Gonsalves DS, et al. (2010) Papaya ringspot virus. The Plant Health Instructor. The American Phytopathological Society.(https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/disandpath/viral/pdlessons/Pages/PapayaRingspotvirus.aspx). 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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