Full Length Research Paper

Sugarcane mosaic virus: The causal agent of mosaic disease on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) in Tehran province of Iran

Mohammad Reza Mohammadi^1,2 and Behzad Hajieghrari³*

¹Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University Branch Varamin, Varamin, Iran.

²Institute of Tropical Agriculture, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

³Department of Plant Production, Moghan Junior College of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh – Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: bhajieghrari@uma.ac.ir. Tel: +989143186861.

Fax: +984527463417.

Accepted 23 February, 2009

   Abstract

During disease diagnosing studies on sorghum fields in Tehran province, Iran through vegetation period in 2005 - 2006, 75 sorghum expressing virus-associated symptoms including mosaic, leaf-redding and necrosis were collected. The virus was inoculated mechanically to Sweet corn (Zea mays cv. Pars403) and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor cv. Kimia). The virus specifically was reacted in Double Antibody Sandwich-Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (DAS-ELISA) and Dot Immunobinding Assay (DIBA). Also relative molecular mass of virus coat protein was calculated using a densitometer via sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to determine electrophoretic mobility compared with protein standards. The virus reacted with anti SCMV polyclonal IgG antiserum and was detected with Goat anti-Rabbit IgG alkaline phosphatase conjugate. The total nucleic acids were subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using SCMV degenerate and specific primers. Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) was detected in all collected samples. The capsid protein was evaluated approximately 37 kDa in size. Amplification product (approximately 900 bp) was obtained from the collected and inoculated plants but not from healthy plants. This may confirm the presence of SCMV in the symptom-expressing plants.

Key words: SCMV, Sorghum bicolor, DAS-ELIZA, DIBA, SDS-PAGE, RT-PCR.