First report of potato spindle tuber viroid isolated from pepper seeds produced in Vietnam.

Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd; genus Pospiviroid) was detected from pepper (Capsicum annuum) seeds produced in Vietnam during an export inspection. The PSTVd isolate (PSTVd-VN) maintained its viability. The phylogenetic relationship between PSTVd-VN and other PSTVd variants that were isolated from other plants and was classified into lethal and severe strains. PSTVd-VN in tomatoes (cv. Rutgers) caused severe stunting and necrosis of the stems and leaf veins, but no symptoms in inoculated pepper plants except that the fruits were smaller than the control peppers. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PSTVd from pepper seeds produced in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]