Molecular Detection and Characterization of Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus Causing Mosaic Disease on Bitter Gourd in Tamil Nadu, India

Bitter gourd plants showing symptoms of mosaic, mild leaf curl with blistering from major bitter gourd areas of Tamil Nadu were found to be infected with Begomovirus by PCR using universal Begomovirus degenerate primer (Deng 540/541). From the blast result, it is identified as Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV). Coat protein region of the begomovirus infected four samples collected from Coimbatore and Pollachi area were amplified using new primer pair (GK ToLCV F/R) shared a nucleotide and amino acid identity of more than 98% towards the ToLCNDV from Asia (India and Pakistan) reported from cucurbits. From the phylogenetic analysis it is understood that, the Begomovirus infecting bitter gourd in Tamil Nadu is ToLCNDV since they are clustered with the ToLCNDV and were well supported on the branches of the Begomoviruses infecting cucurbits in India. This is the confirmed molecular evidence for the occurrence of Tomato leaf curl NewDelhi virus on bitter gourd in Tamil Nadu.