Histopathological changes associated with silverleaf syndrome in squash

Abstract

Silverleaf syndrome on squash (Cucurbita pepo) is characterized by vein clearing, and leaf whitening, and has been associated with the presence of nymphs of Bemisia tabaci (sweetpotato whitefly), and the presence of two double‐stranded RNAs (4·2 and 4·6 kb) in symptomatic leaves. However, the aetiology of the disorder remains unknown. Anatomical studies using transverse and paradermal sections from symptomatic leaves of C. pepo cv. Dixie showed turgescent, aligned adaxial epidermal cell layer, flat cuticle and the presence of sub‐epidermal spaces. Histochemical studies failed to reveal any breakdown in the cellulose cell walls; however, the cuticular layer, the pectin layer and cellulose wall of epidermal cells formed a fiat compact structure. Some changes were observed in the lipid content, with the presence of lipid bodies near cell wall membranes. Sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of preparations of symptomatic squash leaves, partially purified by differential centrifugation, revealed a protein with a molecular mass of about 48 k Da that was not found in comparable preparations of asymptomatic leaves. This protein was localized by immunological staining in the spongy mesophyll cells and in the layer of bundle sheath associated with sieve elements and companion cells of the leaf phloem.