First report of cucumber mosaic virus infection on low-chilling apple varieties in India
摘要
In 2023, symptoms suggestive of viral infection were observed in Malus domestica (apple) plants of low-chilling varieties recently introduced into sub-temperate regions of Manipur and Himachal Pradesh, India. RT-PCR using CMV-specific primers detected the presence of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in symptomatic samples, in addition to other known apple viruses. Sequencing of the partial coat protein gene revealed 74.77–100% nucleotide identity and 68.87–100% amino acid similarity with CMV isolates reported globally. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CMV infection in low-chilling apple varieties cultivated in India.