Among the phytosanitary problems affecting lettuce culture are the diseases caused by viruses. Three viruses cause almost indistinguishable mosaic symptoms: Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV, Potyvirus), Lettuce mottle virus (LeMoV, Sequivirus) and Bidens mosaic virus (BiMV, Potyvirus). By RT-PCR using specific primers for each virus, lettuce and weed samples, preferably with mosaic symptoms, and collected from lettuce fields in the regions of Mogi das Cruzes, Campinas and Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil, were analyzed for the presence of these viruses. LeMoV was the most frequently found virus, followed by LMV. The occurrence of BiMV in lettuce was extremely low and restricted to the regions of Campinas and Bauru, where it was also found in weeds such as Bidens pilosa and Galinsoga parviflora. The latter plant is the host of these three viruses.
LMV; LeMoV; BiMV
