Vein-yellowing disease of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis caused by Eggplant mottled dwarf virus in Southern Italy.

Eggplant mottled dwarf virus (EMDV) was detected for the first time in southern Italy in several Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. plants with vein yellowing. The virus was identified by the reactions of a herbaceous host range, cytopathology and serology. Virions were observed only in the nuclei of infected ceiis where they accumulated between the inner and outer lamella of the nuclear envelope. The virus was identified by an antiserum to a potato isolate of EMDV both in immunoelectron microscopy tests and in leaf sap with indirect ELISA. A limited survey revealed that EMDV occurs in naturaily infected hibiscus in Campania, Calabria and Sicily (southern Italy). Some aspects of the epidemiology of EMDV are briefly discussed.