Identification and Detection of Potato Virus Y Strains Using TAS-ELISA and RT-PCR from Pepper Fields in Golestan Province

Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most damaging viruses of solanaceae family which has been reported from potato and tobacco growing areas in Golestan province; however, this virus has not been studied in pepper fields yet. Due to importance of pepper plants as one of the important hosts of PVY and also cultivation of solanaceous crops in close proximity to one another, the occurrence of PVY in pepper growing farms in Golestan province has been studied. A total of 80 pepper leaf samples showing symptomatic mosaic, mottle, dwarfing and deformation were collected. The PVY infection of the samples was investigated using PVY polyclonal antibody in TAS-ELIASA test. Among 80 pepper samples, 10 samples from each two regions of Daland and Gorgan had the infection. Two positive samples were inoculated on Nicotiana tabacum cv. samsun by mechanical method. Inoculated plants showed symptoms of necrosis and chlorosis in two weeks after infection, and infection of symptomatic plants was confirm by using monoclonal antiserum specific against PVYN, PVYO and PVYC in ELISA test. Results of this study indicated that Daland sample was infected by PVYC, whereas Gorgan sample was infected by PVYN and PVYO strains. Results of RT-PCR test using both general and specific primers covering a part of coding region of CP confirmed infection of samples to PVY. This is the first report of PVY infection of pepper plants in Golestan province.