The location of tobacco mosaic virus in tobacco seed

Abstract

Carryover of TMV has been shown to occur in seed harvested from infected tobacco plants. Both the testa and one or more of the inner seed tissues may be infected It has bean postulated that the endosperm and not the embryo carries TMV, but this could not be proved experimental. Immersing the seed in a 10 per cent tri-sodium phosphate solution for one hour did not appear to decrease the virus content of the seed, although inactivation of the virus in the seed occurred with time. The trash that occurs in an uncleaned tobacco seed sample may carry TMV , but seedlings raised from such a sample were not contaminated with virus and did not become infected during transplanting. Seed transmission could not be demonstrated. These findings are related to previous work, on the carryover and location of TMV in tomato seed.