Alcea Rosea Research Articles

Lead, zinc tolerance mechanism and phytoremediation potential of Alcea rosea (Linn.) Cavan. and Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid effect.

In this study, we aimed to elucidate the defense mechanism of Alcea rosea (Linn.) Cavan. and Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. against the single and compound toxicity of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) along with the synergistic effect of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) in accumulation of metals in these two species. The two plant species were subjected to single metal treatment (Pb 1000mgkg-1, Zn 600mgkg-1) and compound metal treatment (Pb 1000mgkg-1 + Zn 600mgkg-1) in a greenhouse. Besides, different levels of EDTA were applied (2.5, 5.0, and 10.0mmolkg-1) with compound metal treatment. Several physiological and biochemical parameters, including plant photosynthetic parameters, enzymatic antioxidant system, accumulation concentration of metals, and subcellular distribution were estimated. The results showed that the antioxidative enzymes, proline, root morphological changes, and metal localization all played important roles in resisting Pb and Zn toxicity. A notable difference was that Zn was concentrated in the roots (58.5%) of H. macrophylla to reduce the damage but in the leaves (38.5%) of A. rosea to promote photosynthesis and resist the toxicity of metals. In addition, Zn reduced the toxicity of Pb to plants by regulating photosynthesis, Pb absorption and Pb distribution in subcells. The biological concentration factors (BCF) and translocation factors (TF) for Pb in two plants were less than 1, indicating that they could be considered as phytostabilizators in Pb-contaminated soils. Moreover, EDTA could enhance the enrichment and transport capacity of Pb and Zn to promote the phytoremediation effect. In summary, both plants have a certain application potential for repairing Pb-Zn-contaminated soil.

МИКРОСКОПИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ ЛИСТЬЕВ ШТОК-РОЗЫ РОЗОВОЙ (ALCEA ROSEA) В СРАВНЕНИИ С ЛИСТЬЯМИ АЛТЕЯ ЛЕКАРСТВЕННОГО (ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS)

Microscopic research of the whole and crushed Alcea rosea leaves on twenty microslides according to the method described in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Republic of Belarus was carried out. Microscopic research was carried out comparing with microslides of the whole and crushed leaves of a closely related type of a medicinal plant, being officinal, Althaea officinalis. During microscopic research anatomical and diagnostic features of Alcea rosea leaves allowing to identify this plant in the whole or crushed form were discovered and studied. The main of them are the structure of epidermis, types of stomatal apparatus, structure of hairs, localization and types of calcium oxalate inclusions. Anatomical and diagnostic features of the whole and crushed leaves of Althaea officinalis allowing to conduct a comparative analysis with the leaves of Alcea rosea was revealed. The main features are the type and structure of the hairs, localization and types of calcium oxalate inclusions. The resulting complex of microdiagnostic signs has a broad significance for identification of plants of the Malvaceae family.

Roles of two distinct alphasatellites modulating geminivirus pathogenesis

BackgroundAlphasatellites are small coding DNA satellites frequently associated with a begomovirus/betasatellite complex, where they are known to modulate virulence and symptom development. Two distinct alphasatellites, namely, Cotton leaf curl Multan alphasatellite (CLCuMuA), and Gossypium darwinii symptomless alphasatellite (GDarSLA) associated with Cotton leaf curl Multan virus-India (CLCuMuV-IN) and Ludwigia leaf distortion betasatellite (LuLDB) were found to be associated with yellow mosaic disease of hollyhock (Alcea rosea) plants. In this study, we show that alphasatellites CLCuMuA and GDarSLA attenuate and delay symptom development in Nicotiana benthamiana. The presence of either alphasatellites reduce the accumulation of the helper virus CLCuMuV-IN. However, the levels of the associated betasatellite, LuLDB, remains unchanged. These results suggest that the alphasatellites could contribute to the host defence and understanding their role in disease development is important for developing resistance strategies.MethodsTandem repeat constructs of two distinct alphasatellites, namely, CLCuMuA and GDarSLA associated with CLCuMuV-IN and LuLDB were generated. N. benthamiana plants were co-agroinoculated with CLCuMuV and its associated alphasatellites and betasatellite molecules and samples were collected at 7, 14 and 21 days post inoculation (dpi). The viral DNA molecules were quantified in N. benthamiana plants by qPCR. The sequences were analysed using the MEGA-X tool, and a phylogenetic tree was generated. Genetic diversity among the CLCuMuA and GDarSLA was analysed using the DnaSP tool.ResultsWe observed a reduction in symptom severity and accumulation of helper virus in the presence of two alphasatellites isolated from naturally infected hollyhock plants. However, no reduction in the accumulation of betasatellite was observed. The phylogenetic and genetic variability study revealed the evolutionary dynamics of these distinct alphasatellites , which could explain the role of hollyhock-associated alphasatellites in plants.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that alphasatellites have a role in symptom modulation and suppress helper virus replication without any discernible effect on the replication of the associated betasatellite.

Transcriptome analysis in Alcea rosea L. and identification of critical genes involved in stamen petaloid

This study exploring the molecular mechanism of stamen petaloid development of Alcea rosea L., a popular ornamental of the region, using a comparative transcriptome analysis between multi-petal red flowers (stamen petaloid) and single petal red flowers (no-stamen petaloid) by RNA-seq technology fetched interesting observations. It is found that the 3375 differently expressed unigenes (DEGs), out of the total 132,569 unigenes, including 1550 were up-regulated and the remaining 1825 were down-regulated at the transcript levels. The average length of these DEGs was 741 bp, and the N50 was 1090 bp. A large number of DEGs related to stamen petaloid were identified by GO and KEGG annotation. Some of them get involved in the synthesis and signal transduction of plant hormones, such as auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ethylene, and brassinosteroid, while others are closely related to some key transcription factors, such as bHLH, MYB, GATA, MADS-box. These DEGs provide important clues of the regulatory pathway and offer valuable information for studying the mechanism of stamen petaloid.

Possible acaricidal activity of Jatropha curcas and Ricinus communis seed oils on Alcea rosea

Field evaluation for the acaricidal activity of jatropha Jatropha curcas and castor bean oils Ricinus communis against the nymph and adult stages of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae on Alcea rosea L. were studied. The field trial was conducted out in May 2016 on A. rosea in the experimental farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. The fatty acids constituents of the two essential oils were identified by gas chromatography (GLC) analysis. The acaricidal activity of castor bean oil was recorded higher than that of jatropha oil where the total population reduction rate of jatropha oil was 74.12% for adults while it was 75.19 % for nymphs. Whereas, total population reduction rate of castor bean oil was 77.32% for adults while it was 82.91% for nymphs on A. rosea leaves. Regarding the flowers, the total population reduction rate of jatropha oil was 68.74 % for adults while it was 73.94 % for nymphs but population reduction rate of castor bean oil was 72.33% for adults while it was 76.02% for nymphs. The major constituents of fatty acids identified by using GLC analysis in jatropha and castor bean oils were erucic (44.34%) and ricinoleic acid (41.75%), respectively. The results of this study revealed that the essential oil of J. curcas and R. communis exhibited potent acaricidal activity against T. urticae which may be attributed to the presence of different bioactive compounds which may affect alone or in synergism.

Antileishmanial and antibacterial activities of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles using Alcea rosea extract (AR-AgNPs)

Recent developments in nanotechnology lead to draw scientist's interest in green synthesis nanoparticles because of their importance in all fields of sciences. This paper is an overview of Ag nanoparticles biosynthesis (AgNPs) by aerial part of Alcea rosea extract. Synthesis procedures were described, with no stabilizers or surfactants. The synthesized AR@AgNPs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and UV-Vis analysis. The UV-Vis spectrum of AR@AgNPs shown a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 425 nm. Scanning electron microscope revealed spherical shaped with a diameter range of 10-30 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis demonstrated the peak in silver region confirming presence of elemental silver. Evaluation of the antibacterial and antileishmanial activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles was performed. AR@AgNPs exhibit effective antibacterial activity against seven ATCC strains of bacteria and eight strains of drug-resistant bacteria. Also, their activity against leishmaniasis was studied on both promastigotes and amastigotes.

Additions of optimum water, spent mushroom compost and wood biochar to improve the growth performance of Althaea rosea in drought-prone coal-mined spoils

Ecosystem degradation as a result of coal mining is a common phenomenon in various regions of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid zones. The implementation of appropriate revegetation techniques can be considered crucial to restore these degraded areas. In this regard, the additions of spent mushroom compost (SMC) and wood biochar (WB) to infertile and degraded soils have been reported to enhance soil fertility and plant growth under water (W) deficit conditions. However, the combined application of W, SMC and WB to coal mine degraded soils, to promote Althaea rosea growth and facilitate subsequent restoration, has not been explored yet. Hence, in the current study a pot experiment was carried out by growing A. rosea on coal mine spoils to assess the influence of different doses of W, SMC and WB on its morpho-physiological and biochemical growth responses. The results indicated that several plant growth traits like plant height, root length and dry biomass significantly improved with moderate W-SMC-WB doses. In addition, the simultaneous application of W-SMC-WB caused a significant decrease in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (by 7–56%), superoxide anion (O2●‒) (by 14–51%), malondialdehyde (MDA) (by 23–46%) and proline (Pro) contents (by 23–66%), as well as an increase in relative water content (by 10–27%), membrane stability index (by 2–24%), net photosynthesis rate (by 40–99%), total chlorophylls (by 43–113%) and carotenoids (by 31–115%), as compared to the control treatment. The addition of SMC and WB under low-W regime enhanced leaf water use efficiency, and soluble sugar content, also boosting the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase in leaf tissues, thus reducing the oxidative stress, as proved by low levels of H2O2, O2●‒, MDA and Pro contents. Finest growth performance under optimum doses of W (60% field capacity), SMC (1.4%) and WB (0.8%) suggest that revegetation of A. rosea with the recommended W-SMC-WB doses would be a suitable and eco-friendly approach for ecological restoration in arid degraded areas.

Complete genome sequence of hollyhock vein yellowing virus, a novel monopartite begomovirus infecting hollyhock in Pakistan.

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea, family Malvaceae) is an ornamental plant grown widely in gardens across South Asia. In a bed of ornamental plants near the village of Chakri (Punjab Province, Pakistan) in 2014, hollyhock plants showing two distinct symptom types were identified: yellow vein mosaic and leaf crumple. PCR amplification with universal primers amplified a begomovirus from separate nucleic acid extracts of single plants of each type but amplified a betasatellite only from the plant with the yellow vein mosaic symptoms. No potential begomovirus DNA B component or alphasatellite could be identified in either sample. After cloning, the genome sequences of two viruses, one from a plant of each symptom type, were determined and shown to share 99.9% nucleotide sequence identity with each other but less than 91% nucleotide sequence identity with all previously characterized begomoviruses, with the highest identity (90%) to an isolate of pedilanthus leaf curl virus (PeLCV). This indicates that the two hollyhock plants were infected with a newly identified begomovirus for which the name "hollyhock vein yellowing virus" (HoVYV) is proposed. HoVYV likely has a recombinant origin. The betasatellite showed the highest nucleotide sequence identity to an isolate of cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMuB), a betasatellite associated with cotton leaf curl disease across Pakistan and northwestern India. These findings add to the diversity of known begomoviruses in South Asia and again highlight the role of hollyhock as a reservoir of the cotton leaf curl begomovirus betasatellite complex. The results also suggest that the yellow vein mosaic symptoms in hollyhock are due to the betasatellite rather than the virus.

Fatty acid composition and lipid profiles as chemotaxonomic markers of phytopathogenic fungi Puccinia malvacearum and P. glechomatis

The analysis of the overall fatty acid pattern as well as their distribution in various lipid classes of phytopathogenic fungi Puccinia malvacearum and P. glechomatis are considered as chemotaxonomic biomarkers. Puccinia malvacearum on Alcea rosea and P. glechomatis on Glechoma hederacea collected from plants grown in various localities were analysed to determine their fatty acid composition. Both species synthesised significant amounts of saturated palmitic and stearic acids as well as 9,10-epoxy-octadecanoic acid, which rarely occurs in the nature. Both species synthesised hydroxy FAs including 9,10-dihydroxy octadecanoic acid and long-chain 2-hydroxy fatty acids.2-hydroxy 18:0 and 3-hydroxy 20:0 fatty acids were present only in P. malvacearum spores, and these may be the chemotaxonomic markers of the species. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was performed for a comparative lipidomic analysis of P. malvacearum and P. glechomatis. The results revealed the complexity of molecular lipid species of these fungi. P. malvacearum and P. glechomatis lipids were characterised by the presence of a high number of triglyceride (TG) species. 9,10-epoxy octadecanoic fatty acid was found in TGs. Among the many types of oxidised TGs identified in P. glechomatis lipids, the most abundant species corresponds to TG(22:5+6O_17:0_18:2). P. malvacearum and P. glechomatis produced various ceramide species with different FAs from 14 to 24 chain-length. Unusual lipids like (O-acyl)-ω-hydroxy FA 18:0/18:0 in P. glechomatis and (O-acyl)-ω-hydroxy FA 18:0/20:0 and 18:0/22:0 in P. malvacearum were detected. The analysis of the polar lipid composition showed the presence of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine as the main phospholipid classes of Puccinia spp. with the highest diversity of molecular species. Other phospholipids phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylglycerol phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol were present in smaller amounts.The diversity of the neutral and polar lipid composition and fatty acid profile of P. malvacearum and P. glechomatis can be used in chemotaxonomic studies.

The combined effect of Algomed and a quadruple herbal brew of Iranian traditional medicine on the severity and outcome of COVID-19; a randomized controlled clinical trial recruiting inpatients

Introduction: Given the importance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a worldwide issue and its health, psychological and social effects and some serious complications and consequences, it needs to find appropriate treatment for this emerging disease. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of combination of Algomed and Mentha longifolia, Matricaria recutita, Althaea rosea and Malva sylvestris on the severity and outcomes of COVID-19. Patients and Methods: In a Randomized clinical trial we included 68 participants with confirmed COVID-19 through PCR tests and/or CT scan, who were admitted to non-ICU wards. The intervention group received four 300-mg Algomed tablets daily, and the quadruple herbal brew three times a day additionally while the control group received routine treatments. The brew was prepared using a large teabag containing 6 g of the four herbs (2 g of Mentha longifolia, 2 g of M. recutita, 1.4 g of Malva sylvestris and 0.6 g of A. rosea). The patients were compared daily from their admission to the end of the third day in terms of clinical and para-clinical symptoms, and outcomes. Results: The two groups were not significantly different in terms of age (P=0.657) and gender (P=0.798). The median and inter-quartile range of length of stay were respectively 3 and 2-4 days in the intervention group and 5 and 3-9 days in the controls, significantly higher in the control group (P<0.001). Comparing the two groups in terms of the difference between the third and the first day values showed a significant difference in white blood cells count, a reduction of 432.9 in the intervention group vs. an increase of 65.5 in the controls (P=0.049). Except for diarrhea, which happened more in the control group (P=0.020), the two groups were not significantly different in terms of other variations. Conclusion: The present study results indicated the effects of a combination of Algomed and the brew of M. longifolia, M. recutita, A. rosea and Malva sylvestris on reducing the length of stay. It is suggested that the findings of this research should be confirmed by more detailed study with bigger sample size. It is also recommended that same or similar research should be conducted in different geographic locations of the world to confirm the outcome of this research. The main limitation of this study is that it was performed only on hospitalized patients who had a milder form of the disease in terms of disease severity. Therefore, the benefits of the interventions cannot be generalized to all patients. Trial Registration: Registration of trial protocol has been approved by Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (#IRCT20151228025732N51, https://en.irct.ir/trial/46828, ethical code#IR.SEMUMS.REC.1398.325).

Antioxidant Enzyme, Phenolic Substance and Plant Nutrient Contents of Malva sylvestris L. and Alcea rosea L. Species Used as Medicinal Plants

Tıbbi ve aromatik bitkilerin, farklı kullanım alanlarını değerlendirebilmek için içerdikleri antioksidan, fenolik ve besin element miktarlarının bilinmesi büyük önem arz etmektedir. Bu amaçla bu çalışmada, Malvaceae familyasına ait, Malva sylvestris L. ve Alcea rosea L. bitkilerinin antioksidan enzim aktivitesi ile toplam antioksidan, fenolik madde ve bitki besin element içerikleri belirlenmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda, en yüksek peroksidaz (POD), katalaz (CAT), süperoksid dismutaz (SOD) ve askorbat peroksidaz (AxPOD) enzim aktivitesi Alcea rosea L. bitkisinde ölçülmüştür. Toplam karotenoid ve toplam fenolik madde miktarı Malva sylvestris L. bitkisine göre Alcea rosea L. bitkisinde daha yüksek ölçülmüştür. Bitkilerin besin içerikleri değerlendirildiğinde en yüksek N, P, Na, Fe ve Mn miktarı Alcea rosea L. bitkisinde belirlenirken, K, Ca, Mg, Zn ve Cu miktarı ise en yüksek Malva sylvestris L. bitkisinde belirlenmiştir. Bu sonuçlara göre antioksidan, fenolik madde ve toplam karotenoid miktarları ile bazı bitki besin madde miktarları bakımından zengin olan Alcea rosea L. bitkisinin, farklı alanlarda kullanım potansiyelinin daha yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Orchid fleck virus and a novel strain of sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus associated with an ornamental cultivar of Alcea rosea L. in South Africa

Common hollyhock (Alcea rosea) is a ubiquitous ornamental in temperate climates but is highly adaptable and can be found growing in the tropics and subtropics. In 2019, an A. rosea plant showing symptoms of irregular chlorotic flecking on the basal leaves, with symptoms becoming gradually less severe toward the apex, was sampled in Pretoria, Gauteng province, South Africa. Total RNA was used to prepare an RNAtag-seq library, which was sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq 2500 instrument. Subsequent analysis of the data revealed the presence of two bipartite RNA viruses, namely orchid fleck virus (OFV) (segment 1: MW073772; segment 2: MW073773) and sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV) (segment 1: MW073774; segment 2: MW073775). OFV from this study was closely related to a strain from South Africa, associated with citrus leprosis disease, while SPCSV represented a novel strain. RT-PCR and bidirectional Sanger sequencing were used to confirm the presence of both viruses. Further samples were collected in 2020, which showed severe interveinal chlorosis, and were tested with RT-PCR; however only SPCSV was associated with these plants. This is the first time that both viruses have been associated with A. rosea, which should be considered a potential reservoir host of these agriculturally important viruses.

First Report of Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-1 Causing Crown Rot on Alcea rosea in Italy

First Report of <i>Rhizoctonia solani</i> AG 2-1 Causing Crown Rot on <i>Alcea rosea</i> in Italy

Obtaining Dwarf Althaea rosea Plants by Application the Pinching and Maleic Hydrazide Treatments

Obtaining Dwarf Althaea rosea Plants by Application the Pinching and Maleic Hydrazide Treatments

Characterization of a Strain of Malva Vein Clearing Virus in Alcea rosea via Deep Sequencing.

Malva vein clearing virus (MVCV) is a member of the Potyvirus species, and has a negative impact on the aesthetic development of Alcea rosea. It was first reported in Germany in 1957, but its complete genome sequence data are still scarce. In the present work, A. rosea leaves with vein-clearing and mosaic symptoms were sampled and analyzed with small RNA deep sequencing. By denovo assembly the raw sequences of virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRs) and whole genome amplification of malva vein cleaning virus SX strain (MVCV-SX) by specific primers targeting identified contig gaps, the full-length genome sequences (9,645 nucleotides) of MVCV-SX were characterized, constituting of an open reading frame that is long enough to encode 3,096 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MVCV-SX was clustered with euphorbia ringspot virus and yam mosaic virus. Further analyses of the vsiR profiles revealed that the most abundant MVCV-vsiRs were between 21 and 22 nucleotides in length and a strong bias was found for “A” and “U” at the 5′-terminal residue. The results of polarity assessment indicated that the amount of sense strand was almost equal to that of the antisense strand in MVCV-vsiRs, and the main hot-spot region in MVCV-SX genome was found at cylindrical inclusion. In conclusion, our findings could provide new insights into the RNA silencing-mediated host defence mechanism in A. rosea infected with MVCV-SX, and offer a basis for the prevention and treatment of this virus disease.

Association of a begomovirus-satellite complex with yellow vein and leaf curl disease of hollyhock (Alcea rosea) in India.

Geminiviruses cause considerable yield loss in several crop plants worldwide. In 2016, several hollyhock plants displaying yellow mosaic and leaf curling symptoms were noticed in a nursery of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Analysis of the collected samples indicated an association of monopartite and bipartite begomoviruses with satellites. Three begomoviruses (including a member of a new begomovirus species), two alphasatellites, and a betasatellite were isolated from yellow-mosaic-disease-affected plants. Similarly, a begomovirus, two alphasatellites, and a betasatellite were found to be associated with leaf curl disease of hollyhock. These begomoviruses and satellites were found to be recombinants. By harboring diverse begomoviruses and satellite DNAs, hollyhock may serve as a potential source of virus inoculum.

Toxicity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles to aquatic organisms of different trophic levels

Although biosynthesized nanoparticles are regarded as green products, research on their toxicity to aquatic food chains is scarce. Herein, biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (Alcea rosea-silver nanoparticles, AR-AgNPs) were produced by the reaction of Ag ions with leaf extract of herbal plant Alcea rosea. Then, the toxic effects of AR-AgNPs and their precursors such as Ag+ ions and coating agent (A. rosea leaf extract) on organisms of different trophic levels of a freshwater food chain were investigated. To the three studied aquatic organisms including phytoplankton (Chlorella vulgaris), zooplankton (Daphnia magna) and fish (Danio rerio), the coating agents of AR-AgNPs showed no toxic effects, and Ag+ ions were more toxic in comparison to AR-AgNPs. Further investigations revealed that the release of Ag+ ions from AR-AgNPs to the test media were not considerable due to the high stability of AR-AgNPs, thus the toxicity stemmed mainly from the particles of AR-AgNPs in all the three trophic levels. Based on values of 72-h EC50 for C. vulgaris, 48-h LC50 for D. magna and 96-h LC50 for D. rerio, the most sensitive organism to AR-AgNPs exposure was D. magna (the second trophic level).

Correction to: Molecular characterization of Tomato leaf curl virus infecting hollyhock (Alcea rosea L.) in India

Correction to: Indian

Development and characterization of a novel edible film based on Althaea rosea flower gum: Investigating the reinforcing effects of bacterial nanocrystalline cellulose

Althaea rosea flowers were used to procure the gum (ARG) needed for film preparation. Pretest studies suggested 1.5% ARG + 50% glycerol as optimum for film preparation. The reinforcement impact of 3, 5, and 8 wt% bacterial nanocrystalline cellulose (BNC) incorporation (based on the dry weight of ARG) was investigated on the structural, mechanical, physical, thermal, optical, morphological, and barrier properties of films. The Results suggested that increasing the BNC concentration until a certain level (5 wt% BNC) could improve the latter properties. However, at higher concentration (8 wt% BNC), cellulose nanoparticles tended to agglomerate, which led to the impairment of some of those properties, especially barrier properties. According to AFM and SEM results, BNC addition increased surface roughness and coarseness. All BNC-loaded films showed better functions compared to control sample (0 wt% BNC) and the film containing 5 wt% BNC was suggested as the optimum film.

Molecular characterization of Tomato leaf curl virus infecting hollyhock (Alcea rosea L. ) in India

The hollyhock plants exhibiting typical symptoms produced by begomovirus were collected and subjected to PCR analysis using specific primers to amplify viral DNA. PCR amplification and whole genome sequencing indicated the involvement of a DNA virus in hollyhock infection. The full-length genome of the virus infecting hollyhock has shown maximum nucleotide (nt) identity of 91% with Tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) (KP178730 and AY754812) infecting tomato in India. As per the presently applicable classification for DNA viruses (91% nt identity), the virus infecting hollyhock is a strain of ToLCV. The betasatellite associated with hollyhock leaf curl disease showed maximum nt identity of 88.4–88.9% with Cotton leaf curl Bangalore betasatellite (CLCuBaB) infecting cotton and okra in south India. Further recombination analysis showed that the genome fragments of the virus infecting hollyhock has been derived from already prevailing begomoviruses infecting diverse crops resulting in the evolution of recombinant virus. This is the first report of ToLCV infection in Hollyhock.