Molecular Evidence of <em>Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus</em>-Sicily Spreading on Tomato, Pepper and Bean in Tunisia

Abstract

Unusual symptoms including yellowing, stunting, curling, crumpling and plant size reduction were observed in tomato fields and green houses in Tunisia. These symptoms, generally associated with the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) complex, have become increasingly common in recent years. In order to ascertain the molecular characteristics of Tunisian isolates by PCR, both the coat protein gene and the intergenic region of eleven isolates were amplified using specific primers, and sequenced. The PCR procedure also allowed the amplification of viral DNA fragments using a bean total DNA as a template. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that these Tunisian isolates clustered with a Sicilian isolate of TYLCSV-Sic. This is the first report of the involvement of this viral species in Phaseolus vulgaris disease.