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CSIRO PUBLISHING
www.publish.csiro.au/journals/apdn Australasian Plant Disease Notes, 2006, 1, 29–30
Occurrence of a DNA -containing begomovirus associated with leaf curl
disease of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) in India
S. PaulA, R. GhoshA,A.Roy
A,B,J.I.Mir
Aand S. K. GhoshA
APlant Virus Laboratory and Biotechnology Unit, Division of Crop Protection, Central Research Institute for Jute
and Allied Fibres, Kolkata-700120, West Bengal, India.
BCorresponding author. Email: anirbanroy75@yahoo.com
Abstract. The association of a begomovirus, which has satellite DNA β, with leaf curl disease of kenaf has been detected
for the first time.
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a potentially valuable
industrial crop due to its fibre content, medicinal value
and effective use in the paper industry (Duke 1983). The
USDA recognises kenaf as the best non-woody paper-
making plant. The crop is attacked by several viral diseases
Fig. 1. Leaf curl disease-infected kenaf in the field with a close view of symptoms in leaves (inset).
(Brunt et al. 1996; Jones and Behncken 1980). In recent
years a disease causing leaf curl symptoms on kenaf has
been observed in different parts of India. The infected plants
showed curly leaves at early stages, and then gradually
became distorted and puckered (Fig. 1). The height of the
© Australasian Plant Pathology Society 2006 10.1071/DN06013 1833-928X/06/010029
30 Australasian Plant Disease Notes S. Paul et al.
infected plants was also progressively reduced. A survey was
carried out at three villages located in the Bahraich district of
Uttar Pradesh, India, and records were taken at 100 days after
sowing. Incidence, disease severity (proportion of affected
leaves) and plant height reduction were recorded. Leaves
from plants showing typical symptoms were collected for
molecular analysis.
Disease incidence, disease severity and height reduction
averaged 22, 66, and 25%, respectively from a total 1203
plant surveyed. Transmission electron microscopy of typical
symptomatic leaves of kenaf using 2% uranyl acetate
revealed the presence of geminate particles measuring
18 ×27 nm. Total DNA obtained from infected leaves gave
a strong Southern hybridisation signal after hybridisation
with a Cotton leaf curl Rajasthan virus DNA A (GenBank
accession number NC 003199) probe after stringent washing
(three washes) with 2 ×SSC and 0.1% SDS at 65◦C.
The healthy samples did not give a hybridisation signal.
Using PCR with universal DNA β(Briddon et al. 2002)
and coat protein primers (Jose and Usha 2000), a ∼1.3 kb
fragment corresponding to DNA βand a ∼0.77 kb fragment
corresponding to the coat protein gene of DNA A were
amplified from DNA samples obtained from 20 randomly
selected plants from ten different fields showing leaf curl
symptoms. This is the first record of a begomovirus, which
has DNA A along with a satellite DNA β, being associated
with leaf curl disease of kenaf in India.
Acknowledgements
Authors are grateful to Director CRIJAF, for his keen interest
during the present investigation and Dr V. G. Malathi (IARI)
for providing DNA A probe. The first two authors are also
grateful to ICAR for providing financial assistance during the
tenure of which this work was carried out.
References
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Universal primers for the PCR-mediated amplification of DNA β:
a molecule associated with some monopartite begomoviruses.
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Received 1 August 2006, accepted 27 September 2006
http://www.publish.csiro.au/journals/apdn