Authors
N.
Shahraeen
and
T.
Ghotbi
,
Plant Virus Research Department, Plant Pests and Disease Research Institute (PPDRI), P.O. Box-19395-1454, Tehran, Iran
;
M.
Salati
,
Agricultural Research Center, Gorgan, Iran
; and
A.
Sahandi
,
Plant Virus Research Department, Plant Pests and Disease Research Institute (PPDRI), P.O. Box-19395-1454 Tehran, Iran
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has been increasing in importance and acreage for the past 5 years in Iran and is now planted on approximately 108,000 ha. Previous surveys in Iran of viruses infecting soybean failed to identify Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV), but the incidence of other common viruses of soybean in the field has been reported (1). During October 2004, symptoms characteristic of those caused by BPMV including mosaic, puckering of trifoliate leaves, and delayed maturity of stems or green stems were observed in soybean fields in the Takhti Mahaleh, Versen, and Hashemabad areas located in the Gorgan Province. Sporadic incidence of plants infected with BPMV has been usually of minor importance to growers. Symptoms were often overlooked or considered to be physiological disorders. A visual assessment was made to determine incidence of green stem in the commonly grown soybean cv. Sahar. Forty soybean plants showing symptoms of crinkling, mottling, green stem, and retaining green leaves were sampled by collecting one trifoliate leaf near the top of the plant. All samples were tested in parallel for BPMV using double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). BPMV was detected in 40% of the samples. Seven of the samples shown to be infected with BPMV using DAS-ELISA were mechanically (2) transferred to soybean seedlings in the greenhouse. These plants developed systemic mottle symptoms typical of those caused by BPMV and tested positive for BPMV using DAS-ELISA. The distribution of BPMV within soybean-growing regions, exploration of potential virus reservoirs, and economic impact of this virus have yet to be determined. There is no published report on the presence of potential BPMV vectors including the bean leaf beetle (Cerotoma trifurcata) from soybean fields in Iran. To our knowledge, this is the first report of BPMV in Iran.
References: (1) A. R. Golnaraghi et al. Plant Dis.88:1069, 2004. (2) R. Louie et al. Plant Dis.84:1133, 2000.
