Characterization of Turnip mosaic virus from the Asian‐BR Population in Iran

Abstract

AbstractBrassicaceae crops in eight provinces of the North‐west Iran were surveyed for Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) infection during 2011 and 2012. Many symptomatic plants (38%; 226 of 598) were found to be infected with TuMV. The highest frequency was in turnip (61%), followed by radish (55%), oilseed rape (38%), and brassica weeds including annual bastard cabbage (42%), small tumbleweed‐mustard (50%) and wild radish (45%), but not Brassica oleracea and Lepidium sativum. Using biological assays, Iranian TuMV isolates grouped in three [B], [B(R)] and [BR] host‐infecting types. Phylogenetic analysis using complete coat protein (CP) gene nucleotide sequences showed that the Iranian isolates belonged to the Basal‐B and Asian‐BR populations. No evidence of recombination was found in these isolates using different recombination‐detecting programmes. To our knowledge, our study shows for the first time the occurrence of TuMV Asian‐BR subpopulation in the mid Eurasian region of Iran. The data suggest that the Asian‐BR subtype population is found across southern Eurasia and might be a continuous population in East Asia (mostly Japan and China) and Minor Asia (Turkey), the places considered to be one of the origins of TuMV populations.