Faiz Ismaeil(1), Amin Amer Haj Kassem(2), Salah Al-Chaabi(1)& Jamal Mando(1)
(1). General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Administration of Plant Protection Research, Douma, P. O. Pox 113, Damascus, Syria.
(2). Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria.
(Corresponding author: Dr. Faiz Ismaeil: General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR),Damascus, Syria. E-mail: faizismail@mail.sy).
Received: 17 / 07 / 2014 Accepted: 27 / 11 / 2014
Abstract
Seed transmission of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) was studied in 800 seedlings derived from seeds collected from infected tomato and pepper fruits (400 seedlings for each species), as determined by DAS-ELISA test during 2009. The serological test results showed that the rate of virus seed transmission in tomato seedlings was 16.7%, meanwhile, no seed transmission was recorded in pepper tested seeds. Survey results of ToMV in ground seeds of 21 tomato imported hybrids showed that the virus was only detected in two hybrids; meanwhile, the seedlings of all other hybrids were virus-free after planting their seeds. The efficiency of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) transmission by onion thrips (Thrips tabaci), the most prevalent vector in most tomato and pepper fields in the governorates of Dara’a, Al-Qunaitara and Damascus countryside was studied, and it was found to be around 7.5%. Adult insects carrying the virus were able to transmit it to healthy tomato plants after one day of acquisition feeding on virus infected tomato and pepper plants. Virus disease symptoms (mottling, yellow blotching and leaf curling) appeared on inoculated healthy plants 8 days after inoculation.
Key words: Pepper, seed transmission, tomato, ToMV, TSWV, virus transmission.
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