Potato infection with viruses in the Republic of Bashkortostan and ribonuclease activity in tubers

The paper presents the results of enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) of the presence of potato viruses S (PVS), M (PVM), Y (PVY), X (PVX), and Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) in tubers of various potato varieties grown in 2019 in the Republic of Bashkortostan. PVS, PVM, PVY, PVX were detected, the VSLK virus was not detected. The greatest infection with PVS, PVM, and PVX was observed in samples of tubers of early-maturing varieties. Tubers of mid-early and late-maturing varieties were more often affected by PVY than early-maturing ones, and PVX was not detected in plants of those varieties. Ribonuclease (RNase) activity in potato tubers of 14 varieties depended on the earliness of the variety, regardless of the soil and climatic conditions. A statistically significant positive correlation (P<0.05) was found between the abundance of PVS and PVM viruses and RNase activity in tubers of medium-early and late-maturing varieties, whereas, on the contrary, a negative correlation between PVM and RNase activity was revealed when analyzing tubers of early-maturing varieties. It is concluded that the prevalence of potato viruses in the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the activity of RNase in tuber seedlings depend on the potato variety and the type of viruses.