Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Assay for Rapid Diagnosis of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus in Sugarcane

Abstract

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a rapid, highly specific and reliable technique, which is widely incorporated in the field for diagnosis of pathogens at their early stage of infection. In present study, RT-LAMP assay was developed successfully to detect Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) causing yellow leaf disease in sugarcane and compared with conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to assess its sensitivity. RT-LAMP was able to detect the SCYLV up to a limit of 10 pg (picogram), while RT-PCR assays were able to detect this virus up to 100 pg only. The sensitivity of the RT-LAMP method was tenfold higher than that of conventional RT-PCR assay. This study revealed high sensitivity of RT-LAMP in detecting SCYLV in Indian sugarcane cultivars.