Can Winged Aphid Abundance Be a Predictor of Cucurbit Aphid-Borne Yellows Virus Epidemics in Melon Crop?

Aphid-borne viruses are frequent yield-limiting pathogens in open field vegetable crops. In the absence of curative methods, virus control relies exclusively on measures limiting virus introduction and spread. The efficiency of control measures may greatly benefit from an accurate knowledge of epidemic drivers, in particular those linked with aphid vectors. Field experiments were conducted in southeastern France between 2010 and 2019 to investigate the relationship between the epidemics of cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) and aphid vector abundance. Winged aphids visiting melon crops were sampled daily to assess the abundance of CABYV vectors (Aphis gossypii, Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Myzus persicae) and CABYV was monitored weekly by DAS-ELISA. Epidemic temporal progress curves were successfully described by logistic models. A systematic search for correlations was undertaken between virus variables including parameters µ (inflection point of the logistic curve) and γ (maximum incidence) and aphid variables computed by aggregating abundances on periods relative either to the planting date, or to the epidemic peak. The abundance of A. gossypii during the first two weeks after planting was found to be a good predictor of CABYV dynamics, suggesting that an early control of this aphid species could mitigate the onset and progress of CABYV epidemics in melon crops.

Distribution and evolution of the major viruses infecting cucurbitaceous and solanaceous crops in the French Mediterranean area.

Plant viral diseases represent a significant burden to plant health, and their highest impact in Mediterranean agriculture is on vegetables grown under intensive horticultural practices. In order to understand better virus evolution and emergence, the most prevalent viruses were mapped in the main cucurbitaceous (melon, squashes) and solanaceous (tomato, pepper) crops and in some wild hosts in the French Mediterranean area, and virus diversity, evolution and population structure were studied through molecular epidemiology approaches. Surveys were performed in summer 2016 and 2017, representing a total of 1530 crop samples and 280 weed samples. The plant samples were analysed using serological and molecular approaches, including high-throughput sequencing (HTS). The viral species and their frequency in crops were quite similar to those of surveys conducted ten years before in the same areas. Contrary to other Mediterranean countries, aphid-transmitted viruses remain the most prevalent in France whereas whitefly-transmitted ones have not yet emerged. However, HTS analysis of viral evolution revealed the appearance of undescribed viral variants, especially for watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) in cucurbits, or variants not present in France before, as for cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in solanaceous crops. Deep sequencing also revealed complex virus populations within individual plants with frequent recombination or reassortment. The spatial genetic structure of cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) was related to the landscape structure, whereas in the case of WMV, the recurrence of introduction events and probable human exchanges of plant material resulted in complex spatial pattern of genetic variation.

Resistance Against Melon Chlorotic Mosaic Virus and Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus in Melon.

Thirty-one melon accessions were screened for resistance to the begomoviruses Melon chlorotic mosaic virus (MeCMV) and Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV). Five accessions presented nearly complete resistance to both viruses. Accession IC-274014, showing the highest level of resistance to both viruses, was crossed with the susceptible cultivar Védrantais. The F1, F2, F3/F4, and both backcross progenies were mechanically inoculated with MeCMV. Plants without symptoms or virus detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and/or PCR were considered as resistant. The segregations were compatible with two recessive and one dominant independent genes simultaneously required for resistance. Inheritance of resistance to ToLCNDV in the F2 was best explained by one recessive gene and two independent dominant genes simultaneously required. Some F3 and F4 families selected for resistance to MeCMV also were resistant to ToLCNDV, suggesting that common or tightly linked genes were involved in resistance to both viruses. We propose the names begomovirus resistance-1 and Begomovirus resistance-2 for these genes (symbols bgm-1 and Bgm-2). Resistance to MeCMV in IC-274014 was controlled by bgm-1, Bgm-2, and the recessive gene melon chlorotic mosaic virus resistance (mecmv); resistance to ToLCNDV was controlled by bgm-1, Bgm-2, and the dominant gene Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus resistance (Tolcndv).

First Experimental Assessment of Protein Intrinsic Disorder Involvement in an RNA Virus Natural Adaptive Process.

Intrinsic disorder (ID) in proteins is defined as a lack of stable structure in physiological conditions. Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are highly abundant in some RNA virus proteomes. Low topological constraints exerted on IDRs are expected to buffer the effect of numerous deleterious mutations and could be related to the remarkable adaptive potential of RNA viruses to overcome resistance of their host. To experimentally test this hypothesis in a natural pathosystem, a set of four variants of Potato virus Y (PVY; Potyvirus genus) containing various ID degrees in the Viral genome-linked (VPg) protein, a key determinant of potyvirus adaptation, was designed. To estimate the ID contribution to the VPg-based PVY adaptation, the adaptive ability of the four PVY variants was monitored in the pepper host (Capsicum annuum) carrying a recessive resistance gene. Intriguingly, the two mutants with the highest ID content displayed a significantly higher ability to restore infection in the resistant host, whereas the less intrinsically disordered mutant was unable to restore infection. The role of ID on virus adaptation may be due either to a larger exploration of evolutionary pathways or the minimization of fitness penalty caused by resistance-breaking mutations. This pioneering study strongly suggests the positive impact of ID in an RNA virus adaptive capacity.

Impact of Vat resistance in melon on viral epidemics and genetic structure of virus populations.

Cultivar choice is at the heart of cropping systems and resistant cultivars should be at the heart of disease management strategies whenever available. They are the easiest, most efficient and environmentally friendly way of combating viral diseases at the farm level. Among the melon genetic resources, Vat is a unique gene conferring resistance to both the melon aphid Aphis gossypii and the viruses it carries. The 'virus side' of this pleiotropic phenotype is seldom regarded as an asset for virus control. Indeed, the effect of Vat on virus epidemics in the field is expected to vary according to the composition of aphid populations in the environment and long-term studies are needed to draw a correct trend. Therefore, the first objective of the study was to re-evaluate the potential of Vat to reduce viral diseases in melon crops. The second objective was to investigate the potential of Vat to exert a selection pressure on virus populations. We monitored the epidemics of Cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) in two melon lines having a common genetic background, a resistant line (R) and a susceptible line (S), in eight field trials conducted in southeastern France between 2011 and 2015. Vat had limited impact if any on WMV epidemics probably because A. gossypii is not the main vector of WMV in the field, but a favorable impact on CMV, yet of variable intensity probably related to the importance of A. gossypii in the total aphid population. Vat had a significant impact on CABYV epidemics with mean incidence reduction exceeding 50% in some trials. There was no effect of Vat on the structure of virus populations, both for the non-persistent WMV transmitted by numerous aphid species and for the persistent CABYV transmitted predominantly by A. gossypii.

Characterization of a new cucurbit-infecting ipomovirus from Sudan.

Two members of the genus Ipomovirus (family Potyviridae) are known to infect cucurbits: cucumber vein yellowing virus (CVYV), which is emerging throughout the Mediterranean Basin, and squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), which has been described in America and the Caribbean Basin, and more recently in Israel. In this work, an ipomovirus different from CVYV and SqVYV, tentatively named coccinia mottle virus (CocMoV), was detected in a sample of the cucurbit Coccinia grandis collected in central Sudan in 2012. Sequence identity in nt was 68 % with CVYV, 59-60 % with SqVYV, cassava brown streak virus and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus, and less than 50 % with other members of the family Potyviridae. Preliminary biological and epidemiological studies indicate that CocMoV has a narrow natural host range and a low prevalence.