Occurrence and coat protein sequence-based characterisation of Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) associated with vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) in India

Abstract

Thirty vanilla plants showing virus-like symptoms were subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) specific primers. The plants showing severe yellow mosaic and leaf distortion collected from Madikeri, Karnataka were found to be infected with BYMV. In RT-PCR, the BYMV specific primers amplified a ∼ 950 bp expected product that was cloned and sequenced. The sequenced region contained 957 bases spanning nuclear inclusion b (NIb) and coat protein (CP) genes. Sequence analyses and phylogenetic studies based on the CP region confirmed the identity of the virus as a strain of BYMV. This is the first report on the occurrence of BYMV infecting vanilla in India.