First report of Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus (TYLCSV) infecting tomato crops in Greece
Journal
Plant Pathology
Date Issued
March 12, 2007
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-3059.2007.01526.x
Abstract
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus
(TYLCV) and
Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia
virus
(TYLCSV) are two viruses of the genus
Begomovirus
(family
Geminiviridae) causing yellow leaf curl disease of tomato (
Lycopersicon
esculentum
) crops in the Mediterranean basin (Accotto
et al
., 2000) and
other regions of the world (Czosneck & Laterrot, 1997). In Greece,
tomato yellow leaf curl disease was first reported in 2000, causing heavy
losses in greenhouse and open field tomatoes in Crete (Avgelis
et al
., 2001).
During the summer of 2005, a high percentage of greenhouse tomato
crops in southern Peloponnese and Crete exhibited severe stunting,
reduced leaf size and curling, yellowing, shortened internodes and a bushy
appearance; symptoms that could easily be attributed to tomato yellow
leaf curl disease. High populations of the whitefly vector
Bemisia tabaci
were present in greenhouse and open field tomato crops. Plants with symptoms
were collected from the areas of Glykovrysi, Agios Ioannis, Neapoli
(Peloponnese) and Mires, Tympaki, Ierapetra (Crete). DNA was extracted
from leaves of 48 of these plants and a 580 bp of the coat protein (CP) gene
was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the TY(+) and
TY(–) primer pair (Accotto
et al
., 2000). Restriction fragment length
polymorphism (RFLP) analysis (using restriction endonuclease
Ava
II) of
the PCR product produced a 360, 150 and 68 bp pattern from 26 isolates
collected from all sampling areas in Peloponnese and from two areas in
Crete (Mires, Tympaki), indicating the presence of TYLCSV. All 22 isolates
from Ierapetra (Crete) produced a TYLCV pattern (302 and 277 bp).
The amplified DNA from six TYLCSV isolates was cloned and sequenced.
All six sequences were identical (EMBL accession no. AM 259652) and
showed 100% nucleotide identity to a TYLCSV isolate from Sicily (EMBL
accession no. Z28390). These results show that both TYLCV and TYLCSV
species co-exist in Crete, whereas in Pelloponese only TYLCSV was found.
This is the first report of TYLCSV in Greece.
(TYLCV) and
Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia
virus
(TYLCSV) are two viruses of the genus
Begomovirus
(family
Geminiviridae) causing yellow leaf curl disease of tomato (
Lycopersicon
esculentum
) crops in the Mediterranean basin (Accotto
et al
., 2000) and
other regions of the world (Czosneck & Laterrot, 1997). In Greece,
tomato yellow leaf curl disease was first reported in 2000, causing heavy
losses in greenhouse and open field tomatoes in Crete (Avgelis
et al
., 2001).
During the summer of 2005, a high percentage of greenhouse tomato
crops in southern Peloponnese and Crete exhibited severe stunting,
reduced leaf size and curling, yellowing, shortened internodes and a bushy
appearance; symptoms that could easily be attributed to tomato yellow
leaf curl disease. High populations of the whitefly vector
Bemisia tabaci
were present in greenhouse and open field tomato crops. Plants with symptoms
were collected from the areas of Glykovrysi, Agios Ioannis, Neapoli
(Peloponnese) and Mires, Tympaki, Ierapetra (Crete). DNA was extracted
from leaves of 48 of these plants and a 580 bp of the coat protein (CP) gene
was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the TY(+) and
TY(–) primer pair (Accotto
et al
., 2000). Restriction fragment length
polymorphism (RFLP) analysis (using restriction endonuclease
Ava
II) of
the PCR product produced a 360, 150 and 68 bp pattern from 26 isolates
collected from all sampling areas in Peloponnese and from two areas in
Crete (Mires, Tympaki), indicating the presence of TYLCSV. All 22 isolates
from Ierapetra (Crete) produced a TYLCV pattern (302 and 277 bp).
The amplified DNA from six TYLCSV isolates was cloned and sequenced.
All six sequences were identical (EMBL accession no. AM 259652) and
showed 100% nucleotide identity to a TYLCSV isolate from Sicily (EMBL
accession no. Z28390). These results show that both TYLCV and TYLCSV
species co-exist in Crete, whereas in Pelloponese only TYLCSV was found.
This is the first report of TYLCSV in Greece.