The preinoculation technology has the
advantage of providing a rapid response to
a viral epidemic, although it requires the
labor-intensive preinoculation of seedlings
and the release into the biosphere of actively replicating virus and satellite RNA.
This release of replicating viral RNAs has
been a major concern of some researchers
and the basis for governments to regulate
its use. However, in China, where this
technology has been applied on a large
scale since the 1980s, Tien and Wu (20)
report that no new virus diseases have
arisen from preinoculated fields, and no
CMV satellite RNA-induced tomato necrosis has been evident. In addition, they also
report that, due to the CARNA-5-mediated
suppression of virus titer in preinoculated
plants, spread of CMV by aphids is reduced approximately 10-fold.