Detection of Strawberry latent ring spot virus in leaves of olive trees in Italy using a one-step RT PCR

A one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol was developed and used for the detection of Strawberry latent ring spot virus (SLRSV) in leaves of olive trees in Italy. The protocol was used to test for infection in samples from 87 trees and to correlate infection with leaf symptoms. SLRSV was found only in olives grown in Central Italy (the Marche and Umbria regions) and was detected in c. 15% of leaf samples. Most infected plants had narrow and twisted leaves, symptoms which seemed to occur in specific cultivars. The one-step RT-PCR protocol is very rapid and sensitive and has the potential to be used on a mass scale for the diagnosis of SLRSV in olive. This virus should be considered an important pathogen in olive trees, even if its distribution in the field seems to be limited to well defined areas.