The existence of a disease agent with a soil inhabiting

fungus as its vector was demonstrated in 1958,

when Fry gave evidence that the fungus
Olpidium brassicae was involved in transmission
of big vein disease of lettuce. The fungi known
to be the vectors of viruses are obligate
endoparasites of plants. All of them form
zoospores. They belong to Chytridiomycota or
the Plasmodiophoromycota. Two species of
Olpidium, Two species of Polymyxa and one
species of Spongospora have been shown to be
natural vectors of virus.
Thick walled resting spores are formed inside roots young
tubers of host plants. With the plasmodiophorids
the resting spores are formed in clusters, whereas
the chytrids have single resting spores. When the
infected roots or tubers decay in the soil, the
spores are released.
The zoospores attach to the root hairs or epidermal cells
often in the zone of elongation and enter into the
encystment phase. In this process the flagella are
withdrawn and a cyst wall is secreted.
With olpidium belonging to chytrids the protoplast of the
cyst enters the host through a minute pore
dissolved in the wall of host cell.
With the plasmodiophorids the wall of host cell is
penetrated by the stylet. As soon as the cyst has
settled down on root hairs or epidermal cells it
forms a tube, the end of it being pointed at the
surface of host. The tube contains satchel.
Infection proceeds rapidly by invagination of
tube, resulting in firm attachment to the host with
an adhesion and subsequently in puncturing the
host wall with the satchel. The satchel is released
in the host cell, whereafter the protoplast of the
cyst follows.