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Title: SCREENING TOMATO GERMPLASM FOR RESISTANCE TO PEPINO MOSAIC VIRUS

Author
item Ling, Kai-Shu
item SCOTT, JOHN - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/23/2006
Publication Date: 5/7/2006
Citation: Ling, K., Scott, J.W. 2006. Screening tomato germplasm for resistance to pepino mosaic virus. Meeting Abstract. http://roundtable06.ifas.ufl.edu/abstracts.htm

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV), a Potexvirus, is an emerging disease of tomato. The disease has caused major concerns in the greenhouse tomato production in Europe and North America. PepMV is a seed-borne but likely not a seed-transmitted virus on tomato. However with mechanical inoculation, the virus can be easily transmitted to seedlings from contaminated seed extract, thus making tomato seed a potential initial virus inoculum for PepMV. Characterization of PepMV isolates indicates the presence of various strains. Although most of European isolates are similar, US isolates are more diverse in genome sequence. The objective of this study was to evaluate tomato (lycopersicum esculentum) germplasm core collections for resistance to PepMV US isolates. A total of 99 accessions were evaluated. These included 18 L. chilense, 21 L. esculutum, 27 L. hirsutum, and 33 L. peruvianum. Preliminary results showed that all plants in the accessions corresponding to L. esculentum were systemically infected by PepMV with severe symptoms. Although all accessions of L. chilense, L. hirsutum and L. peruvianum were infected with PepMV, a small portion of individual plants did not express visible signs of virus infection. Further analyses with ELISA, however, showed that all plants of L. chilense and L. peruvianum accessions had high virus titer regardless of the symptom expression. On the other hand, virus titer was significantly lower in the symptomless plants from several plants in two L. hirsutum accessions, especially on the top portion of the plants. A second test is underway with additional seedlings germinated from the selected resistant PI accessions to confirm this initial observation.