Use of digoxigenin-labelled probes for detection and host-range studies of tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus

We studied the host range of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in some agronomically important tomato species. Transmission tests with the natural vector Bemisia tabaci from tomato to sweet pepper, eggplant, cucumber, melon, zucchini and spinach showed that these species did not develop symptoms and did not support viral replication. These species therefore do not constitutive a reservoir of the virus and can be cultivated as alternatives to tomato in the most affected areas. For host-range studies, we used a quick and sensitive dot-blot assay employing non-radioactive DNA probes. This technique, developed for detecting TYLCV in plant extracts, is easily used for diagnosis. The sensitivity of this non-radioactive test was comparable to that of radiolabelled probes.