Alterações anatômicas em algodoeiro infectado pelo vírus da doença azul

ANATOMICAL ALTERATIONS IN BLUE DISEASE INFECTED COTTON PLANT Cotton blue disease is caused by a virus whose morphological and molecular characteristics is not well known and so demanding information its phytosanitary and epidemiological characteristics. Evidences of an aphid borne (Aphis gossypii Glover) circulative (persistent) type of transmission, associated with a recent molecular report, sustain for a virus species belonging to the Luteoviridae family. Aiming to understand virus-host pathogenesis as well as to contribute with diagnostic and breeding aspects of cotton blue disease, in the present work, structural studies were performed via anatomical comparative analysis of health and infected plant tissues. For the anatomical studies, leaves from infected cotton plants were chosen when showing typical symptoms, such as: stunting, reduced leaf area with chlorotic vein and edges curled downward; clustered leaves, flowers and fruits due to reduced stem internodes. The results revealed that infected tissues present an increase in callose accumulation and calcium oxalate crystals; integrity of chloroplasts, which were distributed on the peripheral mesophyll cells, revealed a chemical alteration in the interior of palisade parenchyma cells. Inclusions in phloem and occasionally also xylem vessels were observed. The callose accumulation and the presence of inclusions in the phloem vessels are indications of a preferential relationship of the virus to these tissues.