Apple rubbery wood
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| Apple rubbery wood virus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Negarnaviricota |
| Class: | Bunyaviricetes |
| Order: | Hareavirales |
| Family: | Phenuiviridae |
| Genus: | Rubodvirus |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Apple rubbery wood virus, also known as apple rubodvirus, is a virus that causes the disease apple rubbery wood in apple and pear cultivars. There are two species: Apple rubbery wood virus 1 (ARWV 1) and Apple rubbery wood virus 2 (ARWV 2). It gets its name from its distinctive effect that it has on its host trees, which show unusual flexibility in the stems and branches after a few years of infection. This often results in the maturing fruits of the tree to weigh down the branches such that they lay on the ground. Apple rubbery wood, or ARW, occurs worldwide, affecting apple and pear cultivars in most developed countries.[2][3]
Originally, ARW was assumed to be caused by phytoplasmas, but it could not be confirmed through multiple tests.[4] In 2019, it was suggested that both ARW 1 and 2 are given their own new genus, "Rubodvirus" (Rubbery wood virus), the name coming from Rub- in "Rubbery", and -od in "wood".[5][6]
Symptoms
Limbs of the host tree become abnormally flexible, becoming unable to stay upright in most cases. Tree growth is stunted, and new stems and limbs are unable to grow, are distorted, or are rosetted. The limbs of affected trees are distinctly "flat", caused by atrophy of the vascular tissue. On some trees, like Quince, bark necrosis and discolored leaves can occur.[2]