First Report of Potato Yellow Dwarf Nucleorhabdovirus Infecting Pepper (Capsicum spp.) in Oklahoma

HomePlant DiseaseVol. 107, No. 8First Report of Potato Yellow Dwarf Nucleorhabdovirus Infecting Pepper (Capsicum spp.) in Oklahoma PreviousNext DISEASE NOTE OPENOpen Access licenseFirst Report of Potato Yellow Dwarf Nucleorhabdovirus Infecting Pepper (Capsicum spp.) in OklahomaCaleb Paslay and Akhtar AliCaleb PaslayDepartment of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104Search for more papers by this author and Akhtar Ali†Corresponding author: A. Ali; E-mail Address: [email protected]https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3474-0253Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104Search for more papers by this authorAffiliationsAuthors and Affiliations Caleb Paslay Akhtar Ali † Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104 Published Online:8 Aug 2023https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-01-23-0147-PDNAboutSectionsView articlePDFSupplemental ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailWechat View articlePepper (Capsicum spp.) is an economically valuable crop used as spice and fresh vegetable (Tripodi and Kumar 2019). The total acreage of peppers in Oklahoma is low (NASS 2020), but there are numerous farms that are growing peppers for commercial production and provide fresh produce to local farmer’s markets and processing industries. During a field survey in 2021, pepper plants with leaf distortion, mottling of the leaf, apical yellowing, and vein banding were observed in commercial pepper fields. Seventeen leaf samples were collected from symptomatic pepper plants in Caddo County of Oklahoma. Total RNA was extracted from each sample using the Spectrum Plant total RNA kit and screened by RT-PCR for pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) as described previously (Ali and Ali 2015). Total RNA from two negative PCR samples (named Caddo57 and Caddo64, respectively) was analyzed by high throughput sequencing. A total read count of 45,780,855 (average length = 73.51 bp) and 21,163,567 (average length = 73.86 bp) for Caddo57 and Caddo64, respectively, were assembled de novo using CLC genomic workbench (QIAGEN) and used for BLASTn and BLASTx analysis. Three contigs (4,259 bp [average coverage 31,776.33X], 4,378 [average coverage 21,773.09X], and 4,206 bp [average coverage 57,419.46X]) for the Caddo57 isolate showed 90 to 92% nucleotide (nt) identities with partial sequences of several genes (M, G, L, P, N, X, and Y genes) of the potato yellow dwarf nucleorhabdovirus (PYDV) isolate (KY549567). Similarly, four contigs (4,204 bp [average coverage 57,446.92X], 2,738 bp [average coverage 16,192X], 4,257 bp [average coverage 31,791X], and 1,510 bp [average coverage 33,051.35X]) were obtained for the Caddo64 isolate and showed 90 to 92% nt identities with the same genes of the PYDV isolate (KY549567). To further confirm the presence of PYDV, total RNA from Caddo57 and Caddo64 samples were tested by RT-PCR assays using newly designed primers based on the contigs sequences obtained above. The expected PCR products from both isolates were directly sequenced. Using BLASTn, nucleotide sequences of both L gene (OP805375) and N gene (OP805377) for the Caddo57 isolate showed 92.82 and 92.392% identities, respectively, with the PYDV isolate (KY549567). Similarly, nucleotide sequences of the L gene (OP805376) and the N gene (OP805378) of the Caddo64 isolate showed 92.27 and 92.08% identities, respectively, with the PYDV isolate (KY549567). The species demarcation criterion for nucelorhabdoviruses is 50% in cognate genes (Walker et al. 2018). These results demonstrated that our isolates aligned with PYDV species, and did not constitute evidence for a divergent nucleorhabdovirus member. The remaining 15 samples were negative by RT-PCR assay to PYDV. Our results confirmed the presence of PYDV infecting pepper in Oklahoma. Currently, PYDV has been reported infecting potato, tobacco, marigold, pepper, tomato, and white clover. The geographical distribution of PYDV appears to be limited to the United States with detection in Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, New York, and Maryland (Falk et al. 1981; Hammond et al. 2017; Lockhart 1989). PYDV is naturally transmitted by aphids and leafhoppers (Ghosh et al. 2008). The recognition of PYDV in Oklahoma is of notable concern for local growers. Further studies are needed to expand upon the relationship of these PYDV isolates to the currently reported isolates in the United States. This is the first report of PYDV infecting pepper in Oklahoma.The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.References:Ali, A., and Ali, A. 2015. Plant Dis. 99:736. https://doi.org/10.1094/pdis-11-14-1144-pdn Link, Google ScholarFalk, B. W., et al. 1981. Plant Dis. 65:81. https://doi.org/10.1094/pd-65-81 Crossref, ISI, Google ScholarGhosh, D., et al. 2008. Virus Res. 135:26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2008.02.003 Crossref, ISI, Google ScholarHammond, J., et al. 2017. APS Annual Meeting. https://apsnet.confex.com/apsnet/2017/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/5173 Google ScholarLockhart, B. E. L. 1989. Plant Dis. 73:321. https://doi.org/10.1094/pd-73-0321 Crossref, ISI, Google ScholarNASS. 2020. Vegetables, Summary. USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, Washington, DC. Google ScholarTripodi, P., and Kumar, S. 2019. Page 1 in: The Capsicum Genome. Springer, Cham, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97217-6_1 Google ScholarWalker, P. J., et al. 2018. J. Gen. Virol. 99:447. https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001020 Crossref, ISI, Google ScholarFunding: The authors acknowledge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their support through grant no. 0409018032. The authors also acknowledge the support provided through the University of Tulsa and the Department of Biological Science, for publication charges.The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.DetailsFiguresLiterature CitedRelated Vol. 107, No. 8 August 2023SubscribeISSN:0191-2917e-ISSN:1943-7692 Download Metrics Article History Issue Date: 29 Aug 2023Published: 8 Aug 2023First Look: 20 Apr 2023Accepted: 19 Apr 2023 Page: 2562 Information© 2023 The American Phytopathological SocietyFundingU.S. Department of AgricultureGrant/Award Number: 0409018032University of TulsaKeywordspathogen detectionvegetablesviruses and viroidsThe author(s) declare no conflict of interest.PDF download