Biological Characterization of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus-Antalya Isolates

Özet

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV, genus Tobamovirus) is a major pathogen of Solanaceous crops in the world. ToBRFV presents a significant and destructive threat to tomato and pepper plants. Türkiye, an important player in the global tomato supply chain, contributes approximately 13 million metric tons annually, ranking it third worldwide in production volume, following China and India. The majority of the production takes place under greenhouse conditions in the Mediterranean Region of Türkiye. Noteworthy, Antalya, Bursa, and Manisa provinces emerged as the foremost tomato-producing regions in 2023. Therefore, the virus inoculum sources used in this study were obtained from Antalya province. The main objective of this study was to investigate ToBRFV symptom characterization in host plants. For this purpose, in 2024, tomato and pepper varieties were mechanically inoculated with ToBRFV, and disease severity was assessed using a standardized disease severity index. In order to establish a control group, mock inoculated plants were used for each variety.  The results revealed that some varieties exhibited severe symptoms, while others showed moderate symptoms, and one variety exhibited only mild symptoms. Based on these symptoms, some varieties are considered to be highly susceptible, others are susceptible and one shows tolerance. A key strategy for  management of viral diseases is the development and deployment of resistant cultivars, for which disease epidemiology is crucial.