Biological and serological properties of an isolate of watermelon mosaic potyvirus-1 from pumpkin

摘要

Filamentous virus particles isolated from a naturally infected pumpkin plant collected from the experimental farm of IARI, New Delhi, was identified as W strain of watermelon mosaic potyvirus-1 (WMV-1) on the basis of host range, aphid transmission and serological properties. Host range of WMV-1 was found to be restricted to cucurbitaceae. It did not infect papaya (diagnostic host for P strain of watermelon mosaic virus-1) and Nicotiana benthamiana (diagnostic host for watermelon mosaic virus-2). Thepresent isolate was more efficiently transmitted by Aphis gossypii than Myzus persicae. Electronmicroscopic studies revealed that the size of the particles varied from 675 to 895 with a width of 11-12 nm; most common length of the particles was 795 nm.Molecular weight of the coat protein was estimated to be 34 KD. Serologically the present isolate was indistinguishable from P strain of WMV-1 and it was moderately related to henbane mosaic virus and potato virus Y and distantly to cowpea aphid borne mosaic virus, as determined by ELISA.