Occurrence and Distribution of Viruses Infecting Pepper in Korea

Abstract

We conducted a survey on pepper virus diseases in 31 regions in Korea from November 2001 to December 2004. Using electron microscopy, test plant reaction, rapid immuno-filter paper assay (RIPA), reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and/or analysis of viral nucleotide sequences, we found a number of viruses from 1,056 samples that we collected. These included Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), Broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2), Tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV), and Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Of the samples analyzed, <TEX>$343(32.5\%)$</TEX> were infected with CMV, <TEX>$209(19.8\%)$</TEX> with PepMoV, <TEX>$141(13.4\%)$</TEX> with PMMoV, <TEX>$12(1.1\%)$</TEX> with BBWV2, <TEX>$40(3.8\%)$</TEX> with TMGMV, <TEX>$5(0.5\%)$</TEX> with TSWV, <TEX>$153(14.5\%)$</TEX> with CMV and PepMoV, <TEX>$54 (5.1\%)$</TEX> with CMV and PMMoV, <TEX>$31(2.9\%)$</TEX> with PepMoV and PMMoV, <TEX>$3(0.3\%)$</TEX> with CMV and BBWV2, <TEX>$1(0.1\%)$</TEX> with CMV, PepMoV and BBWV2, <TEX>$8(0.8\%)$</TEX> with CMV, PepMoV and PMMoV, and <TEX>$30 (2.8\%)$</TEX> samples were infected with viruses which were not identified. CMV was the most predominant virus in all inspected fields and the number of the samples infected with PMMoV was relatively low as compared PepMoV infection level in pepper. TMGMV was only found in the southern part of Korea, while TSWV was isolated in Anyang and Yesan. However, we did not encounter in this survey the Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Potato virus Y (PVY), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), and Pepper vein chlorosis virus (PVCV).