Nodule infection by bean yellow mosaic virus in Phaseolus vulgaris.

Infection of root nodules of beans, Phaseolus vulgaris L., by bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) and the effect of the disease on the specific activity of the nodule are reported. Infectivity and serological microprecipitin assays with two sources of BYMV antiserum demonstrated that nodules from bean plants whose leaves had been inoculated with BYMV contain BYMV antigen. The disease reduced the fresh weights of tops, roots, and root nodules and induced premature nodule decay and/or nodule drop. The disease also reduced leghemoglobin content, on a plant weight basis, and N2 fixation rate, on an individual plant basis, as measured by the acetylene reduction assay. The increased leghemoglobin content per gram-nodule in BYMV-infected nodules relative to healthy nodules might be associated with multiplication of the virus in the nodule and/or unknown cellular effects derived from the BYMV-Rhizobium interaction.

Immunodiffusion analysis of isolates of Xanthomonas cyamopsidis.

Immunodiffusion analysis of intact, sonically treated, and sonically treated and heat-treated cell antigen preparations of isolates of races 0 and 1 of Xanthomonas cyamopsidis of guar, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, indicated that these races differ from one another antigenically. The differentiating precipitin reactions are believed to have been brought about by specific heat-stable surface antigens, possibly similar to lipopolysaccaride somatic antigens of other slime-producing xanthomonads. Because differences in host reaction to inoculation with the two isolates of race 1 were known to be minor, these isolates are considered to represent serotypes of the race rather than distinct separate races. This conclusion is supported by the antigenic behavior of isolates 14 and 19 to antiserum 19. The applicability of immunodiffusion analysis for the study of pathogenic variability in X. cyamopsidis is demonstrated.