Current Status of Fig Mosaic Disease in Iran

Abstract

AbstractDuring 2009–2010, a survey was conducted in gardens and commercial fig orchards throughout Iran to determine the prevalence of Fig leaf mottle‐associated virus 1 (FLMaV‐1), Fig leaf mottle‐associated virus 2 (FLMaV‐2), Fig mild mottle‐associated virus (FMMaV), Fig latent virus 1 (FLV‐1) and Fig mosaic virus (FMV). Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and dot immunobinding assay (DIBA) were conducted on 104 fig samples collected from seven provinces. FLV‐1, FLMaV‐1 and FMV were found in 14.5, 11.5 and 8.6% of the samples, respectively, but FLMaV‐2 and FMMaV were absent. The overall average of infection reached 18.3%, with a peak of 42.9% in Semnan Province, followed by Golestan (40%), Tehran (32.3%), Lorestan (28.6%) and Mazandaran (25%) provinces. No infection was found in Fars and Gilan provinces. Fig samples from Varamin and Khorramabad districts showed high levels of mixed infections, 35.7 and 28.6%, respectively. The presence of FMV and FLV‐1 in the sap of symptomatic fig leaves was also ascertained by DIBA. Sequence analysis of amplified DNA from the partial RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase gene of two FMV isolates from Iran showed a low level of nucleotide variability (5%). The Iranian isolates shared a common phylogeny with other Mediterranean FMV isolates and in particular with those originating from Turkey already reported in GenBank. This is the first report on the presence of FLMaV‐1 and FLV‐1 in Iran and offers a preliminary insight into the unsatisfactory health status of fig in this country.