| Summary: | Identification of viruses affecting Loroco (Fernaldia pandurata) in the Valley of Zapotitan, El Salvador. Loroco (Fernaldia pandurata) is a horticultural species of great commercial value and importance in the diet of the Salvadoran and Guatemalan people. Unfortunately, this crop is affected by diverse pests, such as the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, aphids and diseases of apparent viral nature. In this investigation, variegated and malformed plants and inflorescences were examined by electron microscopy and serological assays for the presence of plant viruses. In these assays, both filamentous (600-700 nm) and isometric (30 nm) particles were observed by electron microscopy, and the serological tests demonstrated that the filamentous virus is a species of the genus Potyvirus, and the isometric virus is a species of the genus Cucumovirus. No begomoviruses transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci were detected in the samples analyzed. These results suggest that B. tabaci is a direct pest of loroco, whereas aphids are both a pest and the probable vectors of the two viruses detected. This is the first report on plant viruses affecting loroco.
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