Distribution of PVY potatoes in the Chernihiv and Kyiv regions of Ukraine

Abstract

Goal. To study the distribution of PVY in the territory of Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. Methods. Standard methods were used in the research: route field survey for sample selection and laboratory (immunological, electron-microscopic, physiological, and biochemical) for identification of potato viruses. Results. Data from 2009–2023 indicate a significant spread of PVY in mono-infection and mixtures with other viruses, which creates significant risks for the potato seed production system in the Chernihiv and Kyiv regions of Ukraine. The share of complex infections with the presence of PVY in affected samples in 2009–2016 increased from 19.4 to 47.8%. In 2017, PVY in mono-infection was detected for the first time (4%), after which, over the next 7 years, the proportion of PVY in mono-infection increased to 79.1–84.8%, and the proportion of mixed infections with PVY decreased to approximately 13%. A similar spread of PVY and complex infections with the presence of PVY on potato seed plantations was also found in the Kyiv region. Of all samples analyzed, the number of samples affected by PVY increased from 3.4–10.9% in 2015–2016 to 24.8–31.1% in 2022–2023. Conclusions. Phytovirological monitoring in the seed fields of Chernihiv and Kyiv regions revealed a rapid spread of potato diseases caused by PVY and complex infection with PVY. Measures that can limit the spread of aggressive strains of PVY on Ukrainian potato fields will be the careful control and selection of high-quality seed material parties, changes in the varietal composition of cultivated potato varieties resistant to PVY, the return to the seed production system of mandatory phytosanitary cleanings in optimally early periods with the aim of the maximum possible removal of infection and high-quality protection from destructive insects, as well as making changes to the regulatory documentation on potato certification in accordance with the situation that has been developing during the past 10–15 years.