Status of virus and phytoplasma diseases in carrot growing areas of Ankara and Konya provinces, Turkey

Abstract

In this study, infections that may emerge from viruses and phytoplasmas were investigated in carrot cultivation fields in the Ankara and Konya provinces, which are located in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey and have the largest agricultural areas of the country. A total of 272 symptomatic and asymptomatic carrot plants, together with their root and leaf parts, were collected from 61 fields by performing periodic field studies during the plant vegetation periods between 2018–2019. Samples were tested against carrot virus Y (CarVY), carrot red leaf virus (CtRLV), carrot red leaf virus-associated RNA (CtRLVaRNA), carrot mottle virus (CMoV), carrot torradovirus 1 (CaTV), carrot yellow leaf virus (CYLV), carrot thin leaf virus (CTLV) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) agents by Reverse Transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). To determine phytoplasmas, samples were tested using universal primers by nested PCR. Molecular tests conducted to investigate the aforementioned viruses produced negative results, but phytoplasma infections were widely found. 16SrVI-A “Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii” and 16SrI-B “Aster yellows” subgroups were detected by in vitro/in silico RFLP and sequencing analyses. Disease incidence caused by both phytoplasma groups was 39.34%. This study determined for the first time that 16SrVI and 16SrI groups cause severe infections in the carrot fields of Turkey.