A New Begomovirus Species Causing Tomato Leaf Curl Disease in Varanasi, India

Plant Disease
S ChakrabortyC M Fauquet

Abstract

In November 2001, a leaf curl disease of tomato, manifested by yellowing of leaf lamina, upward leaf curling, leaf distortion, shrinking of leaf surface, and stunted plant growth was observed in tomato-growing areas in the Varanasi and Mirzapur districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, which caused yield losses up to 100%. The causal agent was infective to tomato cv. Punjab Chuhara by whiteflies and grafting. Inoculated plants developed symptoms observed in naturally infected tomatoes. Viral DNA was isolated from artificially inoculated tomato plants using 1% CTAB (2) followed by a concentration of supercoiled DNA by alkaline denaturation (1). A geminivirus was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction using DNA-A degenerate primers (3), and a 550-bp amplified product was obtained from artificially and naturally infected plants. Full-length viral genomes of DNA-A and DNA-B were cloned in plasmid pUC18 at HindIII and XbaI sites, respectively. Partial tandem dimers of the viral clones were infective to Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato cv. Organ Spring through particle bombardment. Infected N. benthamiana plants exhibited downward and upward leaf curling, big veins, leaf puckering with interveinal chlorosis, and stunting. On tomato,...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Atrial Filbrillation

Atrial fibrillation refers to the abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid and irregular beating of the atria. Here is the latest research.

Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly due to stroke and thromboembolism. Here is the latest research.

Arrhythmia

Arrhythmias are abnormalities in heart rhythms, which can be either too fast or too slow. They can result from abnormalities of the initiation of an impulse or impulse conduction or a combination of both. Here is the latest research on arrhythmias.