Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) infecting melon and bitter gourd in Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Recently, Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows polerovirus (CABYV) had been reported firstly to infect cucumber in Java. The typical symptoms of CABYV infection are leaf yellowing with green veins and the thickening of older leaves. This study aimed to detect and identify the occurrence of CABYV infection on other cucurbit hosts in Java. A total of 600 Polerovirus-like symptomatic leaves were taken from open-fields cultivated plants in West Java, Central Java, and East Java. The virus incidence was determined serologically, RT-PCR and DNA sequencing confirmed the identity of CABYV. Based on serological test revealed six virus species in single or multiple infections with varying incidence. Among tested plants, the CABYV DNA with size ± 489 bp was successfully amplified from melon in Kediri, Tulungagung, Nganjuk (East Java), Kulonprogo, and bitter gourd in Bogor. The sequencing result confirmed the identity of melon isolates from Nganjuk showed the highest similarity with the CABYV cucumber isolate from Nganjuk and Tulungagung. In contrast, bitter gourd isolates with melon isolates from France and squash isolates from Spain. These are the first reports of CABYV infection on melon and bitter gourd in Java, indicating its rapid host expansion on Cucurbitaceae.