Tomato dwarf leaf curl virus, a new bipartite geminivirus associated with tomatoes and peppers in Jamaica and mixed infection with tomato yellow leaf curl virus

Abstract

Genomic characterization using nonradioactive probes, polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers for whitefly transmitted geminiviruses and nucleotide sequencing were used to describe a new bipartite geminivirus, associated with dwarfing and leaf curling of tomatoes and peppers in Jamaica. Partial DNA‐A and DNA‐B clones were obtained. DNA sequence analysis showed that tomato and pepper samples have a similar geminivirus associated with them. Nucleotide sequence identity > 92% between the common regions of DNA‐A and DNA‐B confirmed the bipartite nature of the Jamaican geminivirus isolates. Nucleotide sequence comparisons of DNA‐A and DNA‐B with those of geminiviruses representing the major phylogenetic groups of Western Hemisphere geminiviruses showed the greatest similarity to potato yellow mosaic virus and members of the Abutilon mosaic virus cluster of geminiviruses. This new virus is given the name tomato dwarf leaf curl virus (TDLCV) because of the dwarfing and leaf curling symptoms associated with infected tomato plants. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization showed mixed infections of TDLCV with tomato yellow leaf curl virus from Israel in 16% of the field samples of tomatoes and peppers.