A comparison of genome sequence data and pathogenicity among isolates of Sorghum mosaic virus from Louisiana sugarcane

Authors: Grisham, Michael; Hale, Anna; HOY, JEFFREY - LSU Agcenter; Mollov, Dimitre; Warnke, Kathryn; Maggio, Jeri

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/23/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Mosaic of sugarcane is caused by Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) and Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV); however, in Louisiana is SCMV is rarely found infecting sugarcane. To determine the genetic diversity among the SrMV population in Louisiana, isolates were collected annually from 2012 to 2019 from released and near-release sugarcane cultivars exhibiting mosaic symptoms from natural infection. The infected plants were collected primarily from breeding trials at locations across the Louisiana sugarcane industry. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) protocol was used to identify SCMV and SrMV isolates. All isolates collected during this time period were identified as SrMV. Genetic diversity was noted among the isolates. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using the RT-PCR sequences from 74 of the SrMV isolates. Isolates with were assigned to five groups based on sequence similarity. A mixture of four isolates were used to inoculate 41 sugarcane clones. Isolates recovered from clones expressing symptoms indicated that one of the isolated caused the majority of infections. Twenty SrMV isolates from among the five groups have been subjected to total nucleic acid sequencing and are being analyzed.