Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Crop Health, cilt.78, sa.3, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Potyvirus iriseverum (formerly iris severe mosaic virus, ISMV) is the most frequently reported potyvirus infecting iris plants worldwide. However, current knowledge regarding its prevalence and genetic diversity in Türkiye, as well as its global genetic diversity, remains limited. This study aimed to assess the occurrence, distribution, and genetic diversity of ISMV and other potyviruses infecting iris plants, and to validate a sensitive diagnostic approach for phytosanitary surveillance in ornamental crop production systems. Field surveys were conducted in ornamental landscape areas of the Marmara and Aegean regions of Türkiye, and samples were collected from 171 iris plants exhibiting virus-like symptoms and 24 asymptomatic plants. Molecular analyses detected ISMV in 108 samples. In addition, Potyvirus hippeastri (formerly hippeastrum mosaic virus, HiMV) and Potyvirus cyrtanthi (formerly cyrtanthus elatus virus A, CyEV-A) were identified in 11 and 12 samples, respectively. The CP gene sequences of 20 ISMV isolates from Türkiye exhibited high nucleotide and amino acid similarity, and Türkiye and global isolates divided into two major clades in the phylogenetic tree. A quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) assay targeting the P1 gene was developed to enhance P. iriseverum detection sensitivity. RT-qPCR analysis of samples that tested negative by RT-PCR revealed ISMV infection in an additional 16 plants, and the assay demonstrated a 104-fold higher sensitivity than conventional PCR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented evidence of HiMV and CyEV‑A infecting iris plants globally, as well as their first report in Türkiye. These findings provide the first comprehensive insight into the diversity and distribution of potyviruses infecting iris in Türkiye and establish a robust molecular framework for routine surveillance and phytosanitary risk management in ornamental plant production systems.