Detection of Beet soilborne virus in Razavi Khorasan Province by serological and RT-PCR methods

Beet soilborne virus (BSBV) is a member of the genus Pomovirus, with rod shaped particles and three plus single - stranded of RNA. BSBV is morphologically similar to Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) and both are transmitted by the soilborne fungus, Polymyxa betae Keskin that survives in soil for many years. Host range of BSBV is limited to the family of Chenopodiaceae. In order to detect and determine distribution of BSBV in Razavi Khorasan Province, in fall and summer of 2005, samples with distinct symptoms of the infection were collected from different fields. Infection of samples with BSBV was confirmed by Triple antiboby sandwich (TAS) ELISA. Also RT-PCR test was performed and its results confirmed the results from the ELISA. Total RNA was extracted from roots of infected samples by PEG6000 precipitation method and cDNA was synthesized using random hexamer primers. PCR was performed with the virus specific primers. After electrophoresis on 1.5% agarose, a ~ 400 (399) bp segment was amplified from the infected samples.