First report of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus in Chayote (Sechium edule) in Korea

Chayote (Sechium edule) native originally to Mesoamerica is an edible plant that belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. The chayote fruit is mostly consumed as food and the root, stem, seeds, and leaves are edible as well in the world. In recent years, chayote becomes economically important crops in Korea and its cultivation area is gradually increasing. In September 2016, virus-like symptoms including mosaic, chlorotic spots and vein chlorosis on leaves were observed in chayote plants in Iksan, South Korea. The disease Incidence in chayote field was about 70% by visual estimation. To identify a causal virus, 4 symptomatic leaf samples of chayote plants were analyzed by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in leaf dip-preparations. Potyvirus-like particles (about 680~730 x 11~13 nm) were observed from all the samples of chayote plants. To confirm the TEM result, the symptomatic leaf samples were further analyzed using the ImmunoStrip® Test Kits (Agdia, Elkhart, U.S.A.) for the presence of potyviruses,...