Molecular Characterization of a New Tomato Begomovirus from India

The Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center's (AVRDC) tomato breeding lines derived from Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum B 6013 × L. esculentum H-24 and carrying the Ty-2 resistance gene located on chromosome 11 are tolerant to tomato leaf curl disease in Karnataka State, southern India (3), where several isolates of Tomato leaf curl Virus-Bangalore (GenBank Accession Nos. L11746, Z48182, and AF165098) and Tomato leaf curl virus-Karnataka (GenBank Accession No. U38239) are reported to infect tomatoes. The only area in south and southeast Asia where these AVRDC tomato breeding lines were found susceptible to begomovirus infection is Thailand, where several bipartite Tomato yellow leaf curl virus isolates (GenBank Accession Nos. X63015, X63016; AF141922, AF141897; and AF511529, AF511528) are reported to be prevalent. However, in field trials conducted in the fall of 1999 in Bodeli, Gujarat State, western India, the AVRDC breeding lines showed typical symptoms of begomovirus infection, such as lea...