Alfalfa mosaic virus

- classification : Bromoviridae, Alfamovirus



The alfalfa mosaic virus ( Alfalfa mosaic virus , AMV) is very polyphagous ubiquitous (Figure 1); it has been reported on field salad in many countries, particularly lettuce. In fact, serious epidemics are only reported in plots located near alfalfa, alfalfa being a preferred host for this virus.

Figure 1

In France, AMV is regularly isolated from lettuce and chicory, but its damage is insignificant, in general less than 1% of plants show symptoms. This situation is quite surprising because AMV can cause serious epidemics in other vegetable species such as peppers, on which significant losses are recorded locally in some years.