Detection of Tomato mosaic virus in tomato seed and treatment by thermotherapy
2011
Silva, P.P. | Freitas, R.A. | Nascimento, W.M.
The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) crop is highly susceptible to viruses, including the Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), Tobamovirus. The symptoms vary from tiles, wrinkle, reduction and curvature of leaflets, and irregular ripening of fruits. This disease requires attention because of its easy dissemination by contact, cultural practices, or contaminated seed. Control is mainly based on the use of virus-free seeds. For detection of the pathogen, different methods may be used, including molecular or biological, and the use of indicator plants. However, these methods require appropriate facilities and are time consuming. Furthermore, the existence of strains of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), Tobamovirus, may cause symptoms similar to those caused by ToMV, making the biological test more complex. When it comes to establishing the health of a seed lot, the use of indicator plants may be replaced by the monoclonal-ELISA test. The DAS-ELISA is a relatively sensitive technique and is widely used for preliminary identification and quantification of viruses in plants. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the ELISA test for detection of ToMV in tomato seeds, and to determine the ideal time for seed treatment by thermotherapy using dry heat (70°C). The DAS-ELISA test on tomato seeds was an efficient method for detection. Thermotherapy for 24 h was shown to be effective in eradicating the virus, and caused less damage to the seed physiological quality.
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