April 1, 2003
From: American Phytopathological Society, Plant Disease Notes [edited]

First report of chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus infecting spring chickpea in Syria
S. G. Kumari, K. M. Makkouk, N. Attar, and W. Ghulam, Virology Laboratory, ICARDA, P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria; and D.-E. Lesemann, Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Institute for Plant Virology, Microbiology and Biosafety, Messeweg 11-12, D-38104 Braunschweig, Germany. Plant Dis. 88:424, 2004; published on-line as D-2004-0204-01N, 2004. Accepted for publication 11 Nov 2003.

During May 2003, a high incidence of symptoms suggestive of virus infection in spring chickpea were observed in many fields in Al-Ghab Valley, Syria, the ICARDA farm (near Aleppo, Syria), as well as in other locations in northern Syria, including the Idleb governorate. Symptoms observed were yellowing, stunting, and necrosis.

A total of 1345 chickpea samples with these symptoms (331 from Al-Ghab Valley, 269 from the ICARDA farm, and 745 from the Idleb governorate) were collected and tested for the presence of 5 viruses with tissue-blot
immunoassay (TBIA) (4) at the Virology Laboratory of ICARDA, using the following antisera: monoclonal antibodies for Faba [Fava?] bean necrotic yellows virus (FBNYV, genus _Nanovirus_) (1); Bean leafroll virus (BLRV,
family _Luteoviridae_) (4B10) (3); Beet western yellows virus (BWYV, genus _Polerovirus_, family _Luteoviridae_ [ATCC PVAS-647, American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA]); and Soybean dwarf virus (SbDV, family
_Luteoviridae_, [ATCC PVAS-650]) and polyclonal antibodies for Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV, genus _Mastrevirus_, family _Geminiviridae_, provided by H. J. Vetten, BBA, Braunschweig, Germany).

The most common virus present was BWYV (detected in 54.1 percent of samples tested), followed by CpCDV (19.2 percent), BLRV (10.2 percent), and FBNYV (5.5 percent). SbDV was not detected in any of the samples tested. Using immunosorbent electron microscopy, infected chickpea samples revealed low numbers of geminivirus-like particles after 15 minutes of incubation on CpCDV antiserum-coated grids.

When CpCDV was purified from infected chickpea plants, the virus coat protein was 32 kDa with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis typical of CpCDV coat protein (2) and reacted strongly with CpCDV antiserum in western blots. The CpCDV vector in Syria was found to be _Orosius albicinctus_ (Distant), and is thought to be similar to _Orosius orientalis_ (Matsumura), the reported vector of CpCDV (2).

FBNYV, BWYV, and BLRV infections of chickpea have been previously reported from Syria, but to our knowledge, this is the 1st report of CpCDV infecting chickpea in Syria.

References:
(1) A. Franz et al. Ann. Appl. Biol. 128:255, 1996.
(2) N. M. Horn et al. Ann. Appl. Biol. 122:467, 1993.
(3) L. Katul. Characterization by serology and molecular biology of bean leaf roll virus and faba bean necrotic yellows virus. Ph.D. thesis. University of Gottingen, Germany, 1992.
(4) K. M. Makkouk and A. Comeau. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 100:71, 1994.

[CpCDV is transmitted only by specific insect vectors (_Orosius_ spp., family _Cicadellidae_). In addition to India and Iran, the virus has been reported on chickpea in Egypt and Iraq. Disease management depends upon an integrated pest management program (IPM). Management options include use of resistant host plants, biological control, suitable agronomic practices, and habitat management. - Mod.DH]