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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #298881
Title: First report of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus infecting greenhouse cucumber in Canada

Author
item Ling, Kai-Shu
item Li, Rugang
item ZHANG, WEIZHENG - Alberta Agriculture And Rural Development

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2013
Publication Date: 4/17/2014
Citation: Ling, K., Li, R., Zhang, W. 2014. First report of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus infecting greenhouse cucumber in Canada. Plant Disease. 98(5):701.

Interpretive Summary: In early 2013, greenhouse cucumber growers in Alberta, Canada experienced some serious virus-like disease outbreaks on mini-cucumber crops (i.e., ‘picowell’). Tests demonstrated a positive infection by Cucumber green mild mottle virus (CGMMV). The strong sequence identity to those virus isolates from Asia suggested that this seed-borne virus was likely introduced through contaminated seeds from that region. To our knowledge, this is the first report of natural occurrence of CGMMV in the American continents.

Technical Abstract: Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), in the genus Tobamovirus and family Virgaviridae, is a seed-borne pathogen on cucurbits. In early 2013, serious viral disease outbreaks on greenhouse cucumber crops were experienced by greenhouse vegetable growers in Alberta, Canada. CGMMV was detected in all 9 samples tested. Among them, 7 of the 9 samples were also tested positive for Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV). Virus infectivity was confirmed in bioassay through mechanical inoculation on cucumber and other cucurbits. BLASTn analysis to the NCBI database showed 99% sequence identity to CGMMV isolates identified in Asia, but only 92% sequence identity to CGMMV isolates from Europe. The strong sequence identity suggests that the Canadian CGMMV isolates in Alberta, Canada was an Asian origin, likely from contaminated seed lots.