Enhancement of the sensitivity of gene probes for viral diseases of sugarcane by the polymerase chain reaction : SRDC final report BS48S

Abstract

The sensivity of gene probes for two important viral pathogens of sugarcane, sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) and Fiji disease virus (FDV), has been significantly enhanced by a version of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This version, known as RT-PCR, involves a reverse transcription (RT) step to synthesise DNA from RNA template prior to the PCR amplication. RT-PCR increased the level of sensitivity of detection by 10(3)-fold for SCMV and by up to 10(6)-fold for FDV. The RT-PCR conditions for routine detection of SCMV and FDV in sugarcane tissues were determined, but the glasshouse trial was not completed.