First Report of Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus in Cucumber in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

HomePlant DiseaseVol. 99, No. 5First Report of Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus in Cucumber in Saudi Arabia PreviousNext DISEASE NOTES OPENOpen Access licenseFirst Report of Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus in Cucumber in Saudi ArabiaM. A. Al-Saleh, I. M. Al-Shahwan, M. A. Amer, M. T. Shakeel, O. A. Abdalla, C. G. Orfanidou, and N. I. KatisM. A. Al-SalehSearch for more papers by this author, I. M. Al-ShahwanSearch for more papers by this author, M. A. AmerSearch for more papers by this author, M. T. ShakeelSearch for more papers by this author, O. A. AbdallaSearch for more papers by this author, C. G. OrfanidouSearch for more papers by this author, and N. I. KatisSearch for more papers by this authorAffiliationsAuthors and Affiliations M. A. Al-Saleh I. M. Al-Shahwan M. A. Amer M. T. Shakeel O. A. Abdalla , Plant Protection Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia C. G. Orfanidou N. I. Katis , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Plant Pathology Lab, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece. Published Online:29 May 2015https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-14-1101-PDNAboutSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailWechat In March 2014, a total of 27 samples of cucumber plants showing interveinal chlorotic spots on lower leaves were collected from two greenhouses in the Al-Kharj area of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Affected plants were heavily infested with dense populations of Bemisia tabaci biotype B whereas aphid colonies, mainly Aphis gossypii, were rather rare. Yellowing disorder is reported to be caused primarily by four different viruses: Beet pseudo-yellows virus (BPYV), Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV), and Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV). In order to identify the etiology of the disease, total RNA was extracted from all collected samples (Chatzinasiou et al. 2010) and RT-PCR was performed suing primers specific to each virus. (Boubourakas et al. 2006; Lotos et al. 2014; Orfanidou et al. 2014). Results showed the presence of CCYV in both greenhouses (13/27), while a relatively high proportion of samples were also infected with CYSDV (11/27) and CABYV (8/27). Dual mixed infections were observed in almost all combinations; CYSDV with CCYV (2/27), CYSDV with CABYV (2/27), CCYV with CABYV (1/27), whereas in one sample CYSDV, CCYV, and CABYV were detected (1/27). BPYV was not detected in any sample tested. PCR products of two CCYV-infected cucumbers were obtained and directly sequenced in both directions using primers targeting portions of the heat shock (226 bp) and the RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) (709 bp) genes (Orfanidou et al. 2014). BLAST analysis of the obtained sequences of HSP70h (accession nos. LM653107 and LM653108) and RdRp (LM653109 and LM653110) genes revealed 99 and 98% identity, respectively, with the corresponding sequences from an isolate from Lebanon (AB523789). Moreover, transmission experiments were conducted using adult B. tabaci whiteflies feeding on a cucumber leaf singly infected with CCYV. Five groups of 50 whiteflies were given acquisition and inoculation access periods of 48 and 72 h, respectively, and each group was transferred to a healthy cucumber plant. Three weeks post inoculation, yellowing symptoms appear in the lower leaves and virus infection was confirmed in all five test plants by RT-PCR, followed by sequencing, To our knowledge, this is the first report of CCYV infecting cucumber in Saudi Arabia and further surveys are required from more areas in order to determine the spread of the virus in the country and in other cucurbit crops.