Effect of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) Infection of some Tomato (Solanum lycopersicom L.) Genotypes on Fruits Content of Lycopene and some Vitamins

Abstract

The response of some genotypes of tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicom L.) to infection with the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) was tested, and the effect of infection on genotypes (123, Narcan and Summer 21) on the fruit content of vitamins C and E and lycopene was evaluated. The field experiment was carried out in the western orchards of Samawah, Al-Muthanna Governorate, Iraq, and the analysis of vitamins and lycopene was carried out in the laboratories of Ghayat Al-Maarifa Company - Babylon. The genotypes were inoculated with whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) and tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results showed that all genotypes of tomato plants were sensitive to the virus, with differences in the time of appearance and severity of disease symptoms. The genotypes Nahrayn and Summer 21 were the most severely infected with the virus (96 and 87%, respectively) compared to the rest of the genotypes. The results showed a decrease in the vitamin C and vitamin E content of tomato fruits to 8.84 and 0.403 mg /100 gm, respectively, in virus-infected plants, with a significant difference from their normal levels in uninoculated plants, which resulted in 15.8 and 0.931 mg /100 gm, respectively. It was also observed that infection with the virus had a clear effect and significantly decreased the level of lycopene to 9.79 mg/kg fresh weight compared to 14.12 mg/kg fresh weight in uninfected plants. Regardless of the type of plant, infection with the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) significantly reduced the average dry weight of shoots and roots of infected plants by 28.89 and 3.15 g/plant, compared to 84.08 and 10.13 g/plant for control plants, respectively. The results also showed a clear effect of the virus in reducing the yield of genotypes, which recorded 409.1 g/plant, with a significant difference from the yield of the same genotypes not infected with the virus, which recorded 1697.3 g/plant.