Competition between two criniviruses for transmission by the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, and subsequent infection of melon plants

Authors: MONDAL, SHAONPIUS - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); Hladky, Laura; Wintermantel, William - Bill

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Two criniviruses, cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) and cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) (Crinivirus, Closteroviridae), are now both established in the low desert melon (Cucumis melo) production region of Yuma, AZ and Imperial Valley, CA. A 2019 field survey identified frequent co-infections in melon, but seasonal differences in prevalence among locations. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of inoculation timing on whitefly transmission from single and co-infections in melon. Whiteflies (B. tabaci MEAM1) were given a 48-h acquisition access period on melon leaves infected with CYSDV, CCYV, and CYSDV+CCYV, then were transferred in clip cages to 2-4 leaf stage melon plants. Forty viruliferous whiteflies from each virus source were provided a 48-h inoculation access period simultaneously on the same leaf using separate clip cages or separately 7 days apart on neighboring leaves. Multiplex RT-PCR demonstrated that when melon plants were simultaneously inoculated with each virus, CCYV was predominantly transmitted. When CYSDV was inoculated prior to CCYV, CYSDV was transmitted either alone or with CCYV. In contrast, only CCYV was transmitted when it was inoculated prior to CYSDV. This transmission bias may result from preferential virus accumulation in melon following inoculation or from competition for binding within the whitefly. Ongoing studies are comparing differential accumulation of each virus throughout vines in co-infected plants and preferential virus binding in whiteflies.