The "Papaya lethal yellowing virus" (PLYV) is responsible for an important disease of papaya (Carica papaya) in Northeast Brazil. PLYV can be transmitted by soil, water and contaminated cutting instruments, as well as through mechanical inoculation. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the possibility of the virus transmission by contaminated hands, and its presence in the embryos of infected papaya fruit seeds. The virus was transmitted through contaminated hands, thus revealing that PLYV is very stable. Experiments with embryos from 1,128 seeds of infected fruits revealed the absence of PLYV in the embryos from seeds of infected fruits, although the virus was present in 112 out of the 670 seed peel samples analyzed. Direct planting of seeds from infected fruits, involving 310 seedlings and 362 plant-seedlings, did not perpetuate PLYV, demonstrating that the virus is not transmitted in the embryo of the seeds. On the other hand, PLYV was detected by indirect Elisa in 49 out of 456 seeds per si.
Carica papaya; PLYV; Tombusviridae; Papaya lethal yelloing virus
