Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

STUDIES ON HOST RANGE OF CUCUMBER MOSAIC VIRUS IN TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L.)

P. Jalender, Bharati N. Bhat and K. Anitha

Abstract

Tomato is under the constant threat of diseases and about 200 diseases are known to infect tomatoes worldwide. Among these, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is most devastating disease, as it can completely destroy the crop. The characteristic field symptoms of CMV disease include stunting, yellowing, mottling of leaves, extreme filiformity or shoe stringing of leaf blades, depending on virus strain and the host. Host range studies conducted on 29 plants and 18 weed species belonging to 13 families for their susceptibility to CMV through sap inoculation under insect proof glasshouse conditions at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources Regional Station, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad during Kharif 2013-14 indicated that 20 plant and 17 weed species expressed visible symptoms. Some of the test plants (crop species/weeds) produced local symptoms viz., chlorotic spots, chlorotic ring spots, brown necrotic spots, necrotic spots, necrotic ring spots, necrotic local lesions, mottling, mosaic and yellow mosaic and some exhibited systemic symptoms viz., necrotic spots, mottling, systemic mosaic and mosaic mottle. The members of the families viz., Aizoaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cyperaceae, Gramineae, Malvaceae and Portulacaceae showed only local symptoms, whereas the members of families, viz., Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Solanaceae exhibited both local and systemic symptoms. Datura stramonium, Solanum melongena, Helianthus annuus, Citrullus lunatus, Arachis hypogaea, Cajanus cajan, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vigna unguiculata, Abelmoschus esculentus and Zea mays failed to exhibit both local and systemic symptoms. Further leaf samples were drawn from all the plants to confirm the presence of CMV using DAC-ELISA.