Question

Who First Discovered Viroids?

Answer 1

1. Diener and Raymer in 1967 were the first to discover viroids when they were studying the spindle tuber disease in potatoes.
2. They found that the disease was due to an infectious agent which was not like a virus but contained only RNA.
3. Then it was named Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid. This disease could be transmitted to healthy plants through extracts from the infected tissue.
4. When this extract is centrifused at high speed this viroid remains in supernatant but not sedimented into a pellet.