IDENTIFICATION AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERISATION OF PEACH LATENT MOSAIC VIROID ISOLATE INFECTING PEACH IN EGYPT

In Egypt, a survey covering five commercial peach orchards of the new reclaimed lands, El Khatatba region in Al Minufiya governorate, was carried out. During the last two years, 73 peach trees (cv. Florida grafted on Nemagard rootstock) were visually inspected and sampled. No symptom characteristic of PLMVd infection was observed. All samples were tested for the presence of PLMVd using molecular hybridization (Dot-blot) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Only one of the 73 peach trees resulted positive for PLMVd as evidenced by Dot-blot and RT-PCR. Following RT-PCR amplification cloning and nucleotide sequence, the Egyptian PLMVd isolate showed an identity of 86 to 95% when compared with other PLMVd sequences in Genbank.