Some of the physical and chemical properties of several characteristic plant viruses have been analysed recently and the results are presented here. The viruses used are as follows:
melon necrotic spot virus, a spherical virus composed of a single particle component and one non-segmented, single-stranded RNA; mulberry ringspot virus, a spherical virus composed of three particle components and two-segmented, single-stranded RNA; rice gall dwarf virus, a spherical virus composed of a single particle component and twelve-segmented, double-stranded RNA; soybean chlorotic mottle virus, a spherical virus composed of a single particle component and one non-segmented, double-stranded DNA.
The comparative properties of the viruses and the methodology applied to the analyses are discussed.