DETECTION OF ALFALFA MOSAIC ALFAMOVIRUS IN SEEDS, SEED PARTS AND SEEDLINGS OF TWO ALFALFA CULTIVARS

Fegla,, G. I.; El-Faham, Y. M.; Younes, H. A.; Fath-Allah, Mervat M.

doi:10.21608/jpp.2000.260252

DETECTION OF ALFALFA MOSAIC ALFAMOVIRUS IN SEEDS, SEED PARTS AND SEEDLINGS OF TWO ALFALFA CULTIVARS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Plant Pathology Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University.

² Agricultural Botany Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Saba Basha, Alexandria University.

³ Plant Pathology Institute., Agric. Res. Center , Alex.

10.21608/jpp.2000.260252

Abstract

Infectivity test, indirect ELISA and tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) were used to detect alfalfa mosaic alfamovirus (AMV) in intact seeds, seed parts and seedlings of two alfalfa cultivars. ELISA was more sensitive than infectivity test for detection AMV in seeds, seed coats, seed embryos and seedlings. Percentage of seed infection detected by ELISA was 5.6% in cv. Siriver and 4.4% in cv. El-Wadi El-Gadid, while it was 2.1% and 1.55% in cvs Siriver and El-Wadi El-Gadid, respectively when indexed with infectivity test. Infectivity test did not detect the virus antigen in the separated seed coats of the two tested cultivars.   Indirect ELISA showed that higher proportion of embryos contained AMV as compared with seed coats.
                Data concerning detection of virus antigen in 5 and 21 days old seedlings revealed that the proportion of infected plants was higher in 21 day old seedlings than 5 days old ones, when ELISA or infectivity test was used in detection.
                When TBIA was used for testing 21 day old seedlings, higher proportion of infected seedlings was detected (21% in cv. Siriver and 17% in cv. El-Wadi El-Gadid) as compared with indirect ELISA or infectivity test. TBIA proved to be simpler and more practical than ELISA.