Detection and Identification of Potato virus Y Strains in the Main Growing Regions of Solanaceous Plants in Golestan Province

Potato virus Y (PVY) is the type species of the genus Potyvirus from the family Potyviridae and is one of the most important limiting factors of the solanaceous crop production in the country. Due to the harmful effect of the virus in the solanaceous family and variation of these crops cultivation in Golestan province, identification of the virus strains and host range studies are necessary to provide management solution for the control of PVY. A total of 380 symptomatic samples showing mosaic, necrosis, wilting, dwarfing and tiny leaves were collected from different growing areas in Gorgan, Daland, Bandargaz and Kordkoy in 2014. Infection of samples was investigated by DAS-ELISA test using polyclonal antiserum raised against PVY. To determine the virus strains, extracted sap of several ELISA positive samples (185 samples) were inoculated on the indicator plant. Nicotiana tabacum cv. samsun. Also RNA from a number of tomato and eggplants samples that a peared to have PVY infection in ELISA, extracted and were investigated in RT-PCR by the potyvirus general primers oligo1n and oligo2n. The results showed that all three strains of PVY were in this province and PVYC strains is the predominant in this host family. This is the first report of PVY on hosts of tomato and eggplant using serological and molecular assays in Golestan province.