Curly Top of Cultivated Plants and Weeds and Report of a Unique Curtovirus from Iran

Abstract

The incidence of curly top disease on cultivated plants and weeds was investigated in Kerman Province (southeastern Iran) from October 2003 to November 2004. A total of 1186 samples were collected in fields of sugar beet and other crops as well as within commercial plastic houses. Curtovirus infection of four field crops, three vegetables and 11 weeds was verified by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a polyclonal antibody. An undescribed curtovirus, tentatively designated Iranian beet curly top virus (IBCTV), was isolated from three symptomatic beet samples collected randomly in widely separated regions of south-eastern, southern and central Iran and used for molecular studies. A 672 bp segment of the coat protein (CP) gene of each isolate was amplified by PCR and sequenced. The results showed that the three isolates shared 98.5-98.7% nucleotide homology with each other but only 72.1-76.5% with other members of the genus Curtovirus. IBCTV was also detected by PCR using specific primers in other samples of sugar beet, tomato, spinach, turnip and several weed species collected in different parts of Iran. These results indicated that IBCTV is the dominant curtovirus in Iran.

Management of Severe Curly Top in Sugar Beet with Insecticides

“…However, the number of Curtovirus spp. or proposed species has increased in recent years and some have been shown to occur on sugar beet in other countries (5,7,14,15,19,39). Finding more than one of the Curtovirus spp.…”

Curly Top Survey in the Western United States

“…Curly top in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is a considerable problem in semiarid areas of the western United States and other semiarid parts of the world such as the Middle East and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea (4,5,7,10,12). Curly top can be caused by a number of closely related species in the genus Curtovirus of the family Geminiviridae.…”

Beet curly top virus Strains Associated with Sugar Beet in Idaho, Oregon, and a Western U.S. Collection

“…Yield may be affected in important crops such as common bean, pepper, spinach, sugar beet, and tomato (Blickenstaff and Traveller 1979;Chen and Gilbertson 2009;Creamer et al 1996;Soto and Gilbertson 2003;Soto et al 2005). Several distinct, genetically characterized members of the genus Curtovirus have been confirmed as causative agents of curly top in sugar beet (Briddon et al 1998;Gharouni Kardani et al 2013;Heydarnejad et al 2007Heydarnejad et al , 2013Soleimani et al 2013;Stenger 1998;Strausbaugh et al 2008;Yazdi et al 2008). However, reevaluation of the genus Curtovirus assigned most of these viruses formerly recognized as distinct Curtovirus spp.…”

“…Viruses in the genus Becurtovirus also infect sugar beet and cause curly top symptoms. These viruses include both Beet curly top Iran virus and Spinach curly top Arizona virus (Gharouni Kardani et al 2013;Hernández-Zepeda et al 2013;Heydarnejad et al 2007Heydarnejad et al , 2013Soleimani et al 2013, Varsani et al 2014b, Yazdi et al 2008.BCTV almost eliminated sugar beet production in the western United States in the 1920s and early 1930s until resistant cultivars were developed (Bennett 1971;Panella et al 2014). Resistant cultivars remain an important control measure; however, most commercial cultivars only contain low to moderate levels of resistance, because the resistance is thought to be quantitatively inherited and is difficult to maintain in parental lines used to create commercial hybrids Kaffka et al 2002;Panella et al 2014;Strausbaugh et al 2007).…”

“…Viruses in the genus Becurtovirus also infect sugar beet and cause curly top symptoms. These viruses include both Beet curly top Iran virus and Spinach curly top Arizona virus (Gharouni Kardani et al 2013;Hernández-Zepeda et al 2013;Heydarnejad et al 2007Heydarnejad et al , 2013Soleimani et al 2013, Varsani et al 2014b, Yazdi et al 2008.…”