Effect of Cucumber mosaic virus Infection on the Chemical Content of some Genotypes of Tomato Plant (Solanum lycopersicom L.)

Abstract

Abstract This study was conducted in the Plant Viruses laboratory and plastic houses at the Department of Plant Protection/College of Agriculture, University of Kerbala, during the growing season of 2022-2023. The aim of this study was to test the response of some tomato genotypes against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and to understand the impact of the infection on the mineral content (sodium, iron, and lead), plant hormones (gibberellins and cytokinins), and chemical compounds (total phenols) in tomato fruits. The results of testing genotypes of tomato plants (Bayan, Heba Madina, Mercur, Oscar, Emmylou, Basmah, Plato, Zenga, and Joleene) showed that all genotypes were sensitive to infection, with varying sensitivey degrees. It was found that the genotypes Bayan and Heba were the most sensitive to infection with CMV at 88.88% and 100%, respectively. On the other hand, the genotypes Madina, Joleene, and Zenga were the least sensitive to infection, with infection rates of 31.11%, 44.44%, and 46.66%, respectively. The results also demonstrated that viral infection had a significant effect on reducing the levels of the iron and lead in the genotypes infected with CMV, and the genotypes Basmah and Heba were the most affected (with a significant difference) with levels of 0.018 ppm and 0.016 mmol L-1, respectively, compared to their levels in non-infected plants, which were 0.023 ppm and 0.024 mmol L-1, respectively. Additionally, it was observed that viral infection had a significant impact on reducing the level of the gibberellin hormone, with a decrease of 53.53 μg ml-1, and an increase in the levels of sodium, cytokinin hormone, and phenols in the genotypes infected with the CMV, with levels of 0.38 ppm, 87.56 μg ml-1, and 0.45 mg g-1 dry weight, respectively, compared to their levels in non-infected plants, which were 55.30 μg ml-1, 0.22 ppm, and 31.32 μg ml-1, and 0.42 mg g-1 dry weight, respectively.