Aplikasi Teknik Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Menggunakan Primer Degenerate dan Spesifik Gen AV1 Untuk Mendeteksi Begomovirus Pada Tomat (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Application of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Technique Using Degenerate and Specific Primers To Detect Begomovirus on Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.).

Begomoviruses infection has been reported and found in several important vegetable crops included tomato. Nevertheless, the information of detection and identification of Begomovirus infecting tomato plants in some of tomato production areas using PCR technique has not been widely reported. The objective of this research was to detect Begomovirus infecting tomatoes in some of tomato production areas of East Java, Central Java, Special Province of Jogjakarta and West Java using PCR technique with degenerate and specific primers. PCR amplification of Begomovirus genome was conducted by using a pair of degenerate primers, i.e. PAL1v1978-F and PAR1c715-R and specific primer, AV1-F/R. For confirmation the virus, it was conducted a virus transmission from the symptomed plant tomato sampel to healthy plants by using whiteflies vector. The results of this research showed that the symptomed plants collected from several tomato production areas of East Java, Central Java, Special Province of Jogjakarta and West Java indicated that those plants have been infected by Begomovirus following PCR detection using a pair of degenerate primers. The Begomovirus infection was indicated by the PCR amplified product with the size of 1500 bp. The results of PCR amplification using specific primers AV1-F/R to detect the genus of Begomovirus showed that all samples of plant collections generated of 780 bp DNA fragment. Confirmation of the virus through transmission by whitefiles vectors in greenhouse from the symptomed plants and the positive PCR samples showed that the virus transmission process was succesfully conducted with indication of the emergence of symptoms in healthy plants.