Biological, Serological and Molecular Detection of Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV-2) in Watermelon Growing Fields in Eastern Mediterranean Region


Kece M. A., KAMBEROĞLU M. A.

JOURNAL OF TEKIRDAG AGRICULTURE FACULTY-TEKIRDAG ZIRAAT FAKULTESI DERGISI, vol.13, no.3, pp.156-164, 2016 (ESCI) identifier

Abstract

This study was carried out with the aim of biological, serological and molecular detection and ide(1)ntification of WMV-2 in watermelon growing fields in Adana, Mersin and Osmaniye provinces in the spring and summer months of 2012. The presence of WMV infection in collected 182 samples was firstly investigated by ELISA and infection ratio was determined as 46.7%. Selected WMV-2 isolates were used in mechanical inoculation and RT-PCR studies. In mechanical inoculation studies, squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), melon (Cucumis melo L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and watermelon (Citrillus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum.&Nakai) produced mosaic, mottle, deformation and vein banding while C. quinoa Willd., C. amaranticolor Coste and Reynier and G. globosa L. showed chlorotic local lesions of leaves. WMV-2 did not induce any symptoms in tobacco species (N. tabacum L., Nicotiana benthamiana L., N. glutinosa L. and N. rustica L.). The results were confirmed by ELISA. Total RNAs were used in RT-PCR and respected size of DNA band (408 bp) was observed by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis.