Study of the atractivity and transmission efficiency of the whitefly comparing tomato and pepper plants and development of specific molecular tests for the detection of begomovirus species infecting Capsicum spp.

• Grant number: 07/04063-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2007
• End date: August 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Agenor Pavan
• Grantee: Marcelo Agenor Pavan
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Contrary of the verified in other countries, in Brazil diseases caused by begomovirus in Capsicum spp were reported recently, as in 2001 in the state of Pernambuco, and 2005 in the state of São Paulo. In the Federal District presence of begomovirus was also observed in Capsicum baccatum. The species of begomovirus infecting pepper are Tomato severe rugose virus-ToSRV and the tentative specie Tomato yellow vein streak virus-ToYVSV. The incidence and severity of begomovirus in Capsicum is not so severe as compared with tomato, but in some regions of São Paulo State there was observed high incidence of Bemisia tabaci in pepper plants. To verify if Bemisia tabaci biotype B prefers tomato x pepper plants, we will carry out an experiment to compare the atractivity of the whiteflies comparing tomatoe cv. Santa Clara and four genotypes of pepper plants. The simple fact that the species of begomovirus currently found in tomato can also infect pepper plants is important because the population of the insect vector can provide the conditions for the increase of the incidence of begomovirus in capsicum. We will also study the acquisition and transmission of the ToSRV by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotype B using tomato and pepper plants. An isolate of ToSRV kept in pepper cv. Magda and tomato cv. Santa Clara will be inoculated by the whitefly in 10 plants of each species, using 20 whiteflys for plant. After thirty days of inoculation the DNA will be extracted using the Dellaporta et al (1993)protocol. PCR will be made using PAL1v1978/PAR1v496 to detect the number of positives samples for each treatment. Primers will also be made for the specific detention of ToSRV and ToYVSV, species of begomovirus that infect pepper and tomato in São Paulo State. (AU)