Tomato chlorosis virus found to infect Cestrum elegans and C. nocturnum in Turkey

Abstract

Cestrum species are being used as hedge and ornamental plants in Turkey. In this study, a Cestrum elegans plant showing chlorotic spots, rings and reddening was subjected to high throughput sequencing of small RNAs, in order to clarify its etiology. Results suggested the presence of tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), which was further confirmed by RT-PCR using two specific primers amplifying RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and coat protein (CP) of the virus. When 25 Cestrum samples were tested using CP primers, one symptomatic C. elegans and four symptomless C. nocturnum were infected by ToCV. The obtained sequences shared 83–99.9% nucleotide identity with ToCV isolates available in the GenBank. Phylogenetic relationship among Turkish tomato isolates of ToCV and those available in the GenBank showed that two Cestrum spp. isolates of ToCV were closely related to Turkish tomato isolates, while the other three clustered with isolates from different countries.