Citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV), the type species of
the putative new genus Citrivirus, causes a bud union
disorder of Nagami kumquat and Calamondin scions
grafted on trifoliate rootstocks. This virus was successfully
transmitted to Nicotiana cavicola using leaf extracts
of infected Nagami kumquat and Etrog citron, thus
widening its herbaceous host range. The infection was
latent but confirmed by the positive response of RTPCR
using virus-specific primers and by electron microscopy.
The positive transmission of CLBV to N. cavicola
should in principle facilitate laboratory investigations,
as it provides a new source of virus alternative to
and more manageable than citrus