Research Information System
Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, vol.19, no.6, pp.4629-4639, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
© 2021, ALÖKI Kft., Budapest, Hungary.Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) naturally infects stone fruits worldwide. Here, we report the first detection of PLMVd in persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) and a weed Johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.]. Samples corresponding to 12 persimmon specimens and weeds nearby the persimmon trees were collected from a germplasm collection plot in Malatya (Turkey). Total RNAs were isolated using a silica-based method and the complete viroid genome was amplified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). From these samples, PLMVd was detected in 7 of the 12 persimmons and in Johnsongrass revealing 8 new sequence variants. Multiple alignment and phylogenetic analyses revealed that identified persimmon and Johnsongrass isolates clustered only with PLMVd-walnut isolates previously identified from same locality. The nucleotide sequences of PLMVd persimmon and Johnsongrass isolates showed 96.71-99.11% similarity with the PLMVd isolates detected in different fruit crops in the world. A single specific mutation identified in two PLMVd persimmon variants (-TH2 and-TH10) effectively changed the predicted secondary structure of the agent. The identification and the genetic analyses of PLMVd variants in persimmon and Johnsongrass confirm that the agent is a ubiquitous and genetically variable viroid that infects many cultivated fruit crops and weeds worldwide.