Archivio Journal of Plant Pathology

Abstract:

The main Iranian sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) growing areas were surveyed for the occurrence and incidence of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV), Beet soil-borne virus (BSBV) and Beet virus Q (BVQ). Root samples from 3,486 plants were collected from 184 commercial sugar beet fields of 14 provinces from randomly selected and symptomatic plants and analysed by tissue-blot immunoassay (TBIA). Serological diagnoses were confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests (RT-PCR) using specific primers. Based on TBIA data, BNYVV was prevalent (overall incidence of 52.4%), followed by BSBV (9.8%) and BVQ (1.4%). High levels of virus infections (more than 70%) were found in Ardabil, Esfahan, Fars, Khorasan and Zanjan provinces, whereas Khuzestan was apparently “virus-free”. The putative vector of the soil-borne viruses, Polymyxa betae, was also detected by RT-PCR in 179 fields surveyed.