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First Report of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus in Bottlegourd (Lagenaria siceraria) in India

In December 2002, bottlegourd (Lagenaria siceraria L.) plants grown as a commercial crop in Pune, India (western Maharashtra) showed severe mosaic, interveinal chlorosis, and leaf deformation that resulted in fern-leaf appearance and severe fruit distortion in approximately 70% of the plants. Crude sap of collected samples was used to mechanically inoculate uninfected glasshouse-grown bottlegourd plants that reproduced symptoms observed in the field. Sap extracts from these glasshouse infected bottlegourd plants were used to mechanically inoculate selected indicator hosts. Chlorotic local lesions were produced on Chenopodium amaranticolor, and systemic symptoms were produced on Benincasa hispida, Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita moschata, C. pepo, Luffa cylindrical, and Trichosanthes anguina. The virus was specifically identified with serological testing using direct antigen coating enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The virus reacted strongly to Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) antiserum and did not react to Papaya ring spot virus-P (PRSV-P), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), and Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) antisera. Electron microscopic examination of leaf-dip preparation from infected plants showed flexuous filamentous particles (720 to 760 nm long) that are typical of potyviruses. Natural infection of bottlegourd by ZYMV has been reported in the Hawaiian Islands (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of this potentially destructive virus in bottlegourd in India.

Reference: (1) D. E. Ullman et al. Plant Dis. 75:367, 1991.