Abstract
In 1999, a potyvirus was detected in Lilium × formolongi plants showing mosaic symptoms in Akita Prefecture, Japan. The virus was confirmed to be the causal agent of the disease by sap inoculation tests, but did not infect Chenopodium quinoa, Nicotiana benthamiana, N. clevelandii and Tetragonia tetragonoides. The amino acid sequence of its coat protein (CP) was revealed to have a high homology (98. 5-91. 3%) with those of isolates reported as Lily mottle virus and Tulip band breaking virus (TBBV). Although these isolates and the present virus could be subdivided into two groups on the basis of the number and the sequence of their CP amino acids, the two groups did not correspond to the two virus species. These findings show the need of further investigation and discussion on the taxonomic status of a tentative species TBBV.
