The Occurrence and Disease Incidence of Tospovirus Infecting Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Southern Thailand

TLDR: The first report of tospovirus in pepper in Southern Thailand is reported, with the highest virus incidence among the surveyed provinces was recorded in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, followed by Songkhla and Patthalung.

Abstract: Pepper (Capsicum annuum L), an important vegetable crop in Thailand, is affected by several viral diseases This research was conducted to determine the occurrence and incidence of tospovirus on pepper in Southern Thailand One hundred and thirty symptomatic leaf samples of pepper were collected from pepper production areas in three provinces of Southern Thailand during the summer of 2012 Serological diagnosis was defined by directed antigen coating enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAC-ELISA) using specific polyclonal antibodies to Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV), Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV), Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV) and Tomato necrotic ringspot virus (TNRV) The highest virus incidence among the surveyed provinces was recorded in Nakhon Sri Thammarat (846%), followed by Songkhla (692%) and Patthalung (153%) Virus incidence in decreasing order was MYSV (1692%), TNRV (1308%), WSMoV and CaCV (154%) Furthermore, the virus was also detected in two weed species (Amaranthus lividus Linn and Heliotropium indicum Linn) by using tospovirus serogroup IV antiserum This is the first report of tospovirus in pepper in Southern Thailand To identify the species of tospovirus infecting pepper in the area, further biological and molecular characterization is needed Key Words: Capsicum annuum L, disease incidence, pepper, tospovirus Abbreviations: CaCV - Capsicum chlorosis virus, DAC-ELISA - direct-antigen coating enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, GBNV - Groundnut bud necrosis virus, MYSV - Melon yellow spot virus, PBS - phosphate buffer saline, rpm - round per minute, TNRV - Tomato necrotic ringspot virus, WSMoV - Watermelon silver mottle virus