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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #205943
Title: Resistance to Cucurbit Leaf Crumple Virus in Melon

Author
item McCreight, James - Jim
item Liu, Hsing Yeh
item TURINI, THOMAS - UC, COOP. EXT. HOLTVILLE

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2007
Publication Date: 2/1/2008
Citation: McCreight, J.D., Liu, H-Y., Turini, T.A. 2008. Resistance to cucurbit leaf crumple virus in melon. HortScience. 40:1108-1109.

Interpretive Summary: Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV) is a geminivirus (a group of plant viruses comprised of two virus particles) that was first reported on melon (includes cantaloupe, honeydew and other mixed melons) in 2000 in the lower deserts of California (Imperial Valley) and Arizona (Yuma Valey). Plant symptoms include chlorotic leaf spots and terminal buds, leaf curling and crumpling and interveinal yellowing, and plants may be stunted in size. This research describes host plant resistance to this virus in eight melon plant introductions. Inheritance of resistance in one of the melon introductions was controlled by a single recessive gene.

Technical Abstract: Cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV) is a geminivirus common in melons (Cucumis melo L.) planted from July through September in the desert southwest U.S.A. Symptoms include chlorotic leaf spots and terminal buds, leaf curling and crumpling and interveinal yellowing, and plants may be stunted in size. Seven melon cultigens (cultivars, breeding lines and plant introductions) exhibited partial resistance to CuLCrV in naturally-infected field tests and controlled inoculation greenhouse tests (MR-1, PI 124111, PI 124112, PI 179901, PI 234607, PI 313970, and PI 414723), and an eighth cultigen (PI 236355) was completely resistant in one greenhouse test. Partial resistance was characterized by some plants of a cultigen exhibiting chlorotic spots, or mild expression of typical CuLCrV symptoms; all such plants were positive for presence of virus using PCR analysis with a CuLCrV-specific primer pair from BC1 region. Resistance to CuLCrV in melon was recessive; F1 progenies of these seven cultigens with ‘Top Mark’ were susceptible. Field and greenhouse data from F1, F2, and backcrosses to ‘Top Mark’ and PI 313970 demonstrated a single, recessive gene for resistance to CuLCrV. Resistance in PI 313970 appeared to be allelic with resistance in the other six cultigens based on F1 data. The name cucurbit leaf crumple and symbol clc are proposed for this gene.