Virus resistance of Australian pea ( Pisum sativum ) varieties.

Australian pea varieties were evaluated for virus resistance using spreader plots sown withPea seed-borne mosaic virus(PSbMV)-infected seed and aphid inoculations withBean leafroll virus(BLRV). Natural infections byBean yellow mosaic virus(BYMV) andSoybean dwarf virus(SbDV) allowed also screening for these viruses. Complete PSbMV resistance was limited to a few varieties, but BYMV resistance was relatively frequent. No consistent ranking of partial PSbMV resistance or PSbMV seed transmission rates were found. Selection for partial resistance to PSbMV is therefore not a practical breeding objective, while incorporating complete resistance is relatively easy. A wide range of resistance was found for BLRV and confirmed in field and greenhouse tests against local BLRV strains in Syria, but infection levels varied over years and no complete resistance was identified. Genotypes with a high level of partial resistance to BLRV also appeared to show resistance to the closely related SbDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]