Chemical suppression of virus in cultured plant tissues

Abstract

SUMMARY The concentrations of cucumber mosaic (CMV) and alfalfa mosaic viruses, present in various types of cultured plant tissues, were significantly less when ribavirin (syn. Virazole) at 50 or 100 mg/litre was present in the culture medium. CMV concentrations decreased within 24 days in infected cultures treated with ribabirin, but incubation periods of up to 127 days were required before the virus was undetectable. However, virus‐free cultures were obtained from CMV‐infected meristem‐tips irrespective of the presence or absence of ribavirin. Kinetin at concentrations up to 25.6 mg/litre had no persistent antiviral effect.