African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6900

Article in Press

Comparative analysis of mechanical inoculation methods for Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) in tomato.

Yunus Emre USLU , Melda ERTURK, Sevdiye YORGANCI

  •  Received: 05 June 2024
  •  Accepted: 12 July 2024
Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) is a pathogen that causes significant yield losses in crops. TSWV has been reported to infect nearly 1,000 plant species in 84 families, including tomato, pepper, lettuce, tobacco, eggplant, and various weeds, all of which belong to the Solanaceae family. TSWV, a member of the Orthotospovirus genus within the Bunyaviridae family, is characterized by an isometric enveloped particle. The virus is transmitted mechanically and via vectors. Nine thrips species genera are capable of carrying the virus in a circulative-propagative manner. Mechanical transmission of TSWV can be performed in vitro, allowing the production of virus-infected plants for plant-virus studies. This study evaluated the effects of two different mechanical inoculation methods that can be practically used as in-vitro virus inoculation. Tomatoes germinated from seeds were infected with TSWV using two mechanical inoculation methods and were subsequently confirmed via PCR. The presence of TSWV in the infected plants was further validated by Sanger sequencing. Disease incidence and quantitative characteristics of TSWV-infected tomato plants were measured and statistically analyzed. Different disease incidence rates and quantitative properties were observed between the two mechanical inoculation methods. One of the mechanical inoculation methods demonstrated a 30% higher transmission efficiency for TSWV.

Keywords: Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus, tomato, mechanic inoculation, physical parameters