Evaluating cucumber mosaic virus in capsicum germplasm using ELISA

Abstract

Surveys conducted in capsicum growing localities of Solan district in Himachal Pradesh revealed a high incidence of cucumber mosaic virus. Mottling, mosaic, mid vein distortion, puckering and leaf deformation were the striking symptoms observed on the leaves of capsicum. Due to the complexities of symptoms, appearance of visual symptoms alone is not sufficient enough to establish the identity of the causal virus. Leaves from symptomatic plants were collected and serologically detected through ELISA. A total of 70 capsicum varieties/breeding lines were evaluated for their reaction to CMV, out of which 14 were found to be resistant based on their optical density values. ELISA was observed to be a quick and reliable method for indexing germplasm on a large scale.