Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
European Journal of Plant Pathology, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
The blueberry mosaic-associated virus (BlMaV), detected in both cultivated and wild blueberry populations across several countries, including Türkiye, has raised concerns about its potential natural spread. In this study, we investigated the potential involvement of Olpidium spp. in the natural transmission of BlMaV in blueberry plantations. Lettuce, carrot, broccoli, and cucumber, were used as trap plants and co-cultivated with virus-free in vitro propagated blueberry plants (cv. ‵Bluecrop‵) in soils collected from root zones of BlMaV-infected blueberries grown in a commercial orchard and two wild plantations in Rize province in Türkiye. One month after planting, resting spores of Olpidium spp. were observed on the roots of some lettuce, broccoli, carrot, and their adjacent in vitro blueberry plants. The presence of Olpidium virulentus on the roots of trap plants and blueberries was confirmed by PCR analysis using both generic (ITS1/ITS4) and species-specific primer pairs. While a high BlMaV infection rate was detected in the leaves of lettuce and adjacent blueberries planted in soil collected from the root zones of BlMaV-infected blueberries from all three locations, the virus could not be detected in other trap plants. However, at location 3, two blueberry plants planted next to broccoli and one blueberry plant planted next to carrot were found to be infected by BlMaV. This study showed that O. virulentus resting spores found in the soil where BlMaV-infected blueberries were grown in natural conditions played an active role in the transmission of BlMaV. Our findings also indicated that BlMaV spreads effectively in wild blueberry plantations, suggesting possible virus movement between wild and cultivated blueberries and that lettuce may play an important role in disease epidemiology as a good host for both O. virulentus and BlMaV.