Significance of weed hosts for Potato virus Y protection in Syria

Abstract

A survey of Potato virus Y (PVY) was carried out on weeds growing in and around potato fields in Syria during the autumn growing seasons of 2002, 2004 and 2006. A total of 59 samples of eight weed species and three tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) samples were tested by ELISA using PVY antisera. Among them 15 samples belonged to Solanum nigrum (7 samples), Physalis sp. (6 samples) and tobacco (2 samples) were PVY infected. This suggests that weed hosts and neighbouring tobacco fields are natural reservoirs of PVY in Syria. According to their biological, serological and molecular characteristics, the majority of weed PVY isolates belonged to the PVYSYR variant indicating a possible correlation between the high incidence of PVYSYR in potato and weed hosts. This is the first report on the occurrence and characterization of weed PVY isolates from Syria.

The Importance of Potato virus Y Potyvirus

“…In Europe, Kaliciak and Syller [40], reported other new wild hosts for PVY including Erodium cicutarium, Geranium pusillum, Lactuca serriola and Lamium purpureum. Chikh-Ali, et al [41], reported that PVY is very common in S. nigrum and Physalis spp. which are abundant at the ield margins in potato crops in Syria.…”