Mexican lime seedlings were grafted with buds from the following Hassaku plants suspected to carry tristeza virus.
A) Two nursery plants, apparently healthy, one of which was supposed not to be pitted (M1) and the other severely pitted (S2), although both had been propagated from the same mother tree.
B) Hassaku-dwarf-affected trees (S0, S1).
C) An old, apparently healthy but slightly pitted tree (M2).
All the lime seedlings used for the experiments were kept in a screened greenhouse for observation for 7 to 11 months.
1) When Mexican lime seedlings were grafted with buds from S0, S1 or S2, they developed severe symptoms of vein clearing, vein corking, stem pitting, stunting, etc. On the contrary, when grafted with buds from M1 or M2, only mild symptoms of vein clearing, stem pitting, etc. were observed on the grafted lime seedlings. The symptoms in this case ceased to develop any more.
2) Inoculation with leaf pieces from those diseased lime seedlings caused same reactions on other batches of lime seedlings as did the original grafting, viz. inoculation with leaf pieces from the seedlings with mild symptoms caused mild symptoms; inoculation with severe ones caused severe symptoms on the second batch of lime seedlings.
3) When Mexican lime seedlings were grafted first with buds from M1 or M2, and then, one or two months later, grafted with buds from S0, S1, or S2, they showed milder symptoms than those on seedlings grafted with buds of latter group alone.
4) Considering from these results, the plants M1 and M2 seem to be infected with a mild strain of tristeza virus, and S0, S1, and S2 with a severe strain.
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