URGINEA MARITIME (L.) IS A NEW HOST OF ALLEXIVIRUS GROUP ON ONION AND GARLIC PLANTS IN TURKEY

Abstract

The means of bulb production, use of the infected plants in production, the presence of vectors and presence of virus in wild host plants are important factors influencing the spread of virus diseases in a given area. During a survey that was made in 2008 and 2009, heavily virus infected onion and garlic plants were observed near Urginea maritime (L) (Baker) plants in Adana and Mersin provinces. The virus diseases symptoms that were noticed on the wild plants were similar to that of onion and garlic plants. Samples of suspected infected garlic, onion and U. maritime plants were collected from fields and were tested by ELISA against Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) which is a major onion and garlic viruses disease. The highest absorbance value was obtained from the infected U. maritime samples. The samples were also tested by RT-PCR against the same and other viruses. Allexivirus coat protein genes of group specific AL-N30 (+) and AL-C10 (-) RT-PCR using primers U. maritime and garlic as a result work, 456 bp DNA bands were seen on the agarose gel. DNA fragments were directly sequenced and compared with the isolates. Japanese isolate is 93% similar to that of selected isolates. The 96 collected samples of U. maritime were found to be infected with LYSV and Allexivirus. 28 samples out of 96 U. maritime samples were found to be mix-infected with LYSV and Allexivirus. The study suggested that U. maritime serves as a source of inocula as well as overwintering host of and Potyvirus diseases spread. Finally, the result of studies revealed that U. maritime is a new recorded host of Allexivirus on the leek onion and garlic plants in Turkey.