Potential Primary Inoculum Sources of <i>Bean pod mottle virus</i> in Iowa

A survey of Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) in Iowa counties was conducted and the virus was found throughout the state. A long-term monitoring study (1989 to 2002) of the main BPMV vector, the bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata, indicated that, in 2002, populations reached the highest abundance recorded in 14 years. Three potential sources for an early season primary inoculum source were found: (i) soybean (Glycine max) seed, (ii) overwintered bean leaf beetles, and (iii) alternate BPMV host plants. Examination of 5,804 and 8,064 soybean seedlings of two cultivars yielded 0 and 3 seedlings, respectively, infected with BPMV. In a separate test, BPMV was detected in mottled and nonmottled soybean seed. Some mottled seed did not contain BPMV, indicating that soybean seed coat mottling is an unreliable indicator for presence of the virus in seed. Of 194 naturally overwintered bean leaf beetles, only 1 transmitted BPMV to soybean. BPMV was detected serologically only in 1 alternate host, Desmodium canadense, out of 23 naturally occurring plant species collected from the field. The three inoculum sources discovered in Iowa in this study could be important primary sources when vector populations are high and indicate starting points for future epidemiological investigations.