Diagnosis of viruses of the genus Begomovirus

Abstract

The genus Begomovirus is one of the largest among the genera of phytopathogenic viruses. Representatives of this genus infect dicotyledonous plants and are transmitted by the silverleaf whitefly. Previously, this genus was also known as subgroup III of the geminiviruses, or the Bean golden mosaic virus group. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Sardinia Virus (TYLCSV), Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) belong to the genus Begomovirus and are serious pathogens of vegetable crops in open and protected ground. All these viruses are absent on the territory of the Russian Federation, and TYLCV is included in the Common List of Quarantine Pests of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Yield losses of tomato, pepper, zucchini and other vegetable crops as a result of infection with these pathogens can reach 100%. Timely detection of infected plants is essential to prevent the entry of viruses into the territory of the Russian Federation and their spread on it. Objective detection of especially dangerous viruses of the Begomovirus genus and their identification to the level of genus and species is possible only through the use of modern methods of laboratory diagnostics. During the research, the authors of the article tested 7 pairs of universal and 4 pairs of species-specific primers for classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. Primers have been identified that allow universal detection of the begomovirus complex on vegetable crops. Multiplex PCR was tested to detect and identify TYLCV and TYLCSV simultaneously. The authors of the article developed primers with high specificity for TYLCV and TYLCSV.