Exploiting Virus Infection to Protect Plants from Abiotic Stresses: Tomato Protection by a Begomovirus.

Tomato cultivation is threatened by environmental stresses (e.g., heat, drought) and by viral infection (mainly viruses belonging to the tomato yellow leaf curl virus family-TYLCVs).

Interplay between abiotic (drought) and biotic (virus) stresses in tomato plants.

With climate warming, drought becomes a vital challenge for agriculture. Extended drought periods affect plant-pathogen interactions. We demonstrate an interplay in tomato between drought and infection with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV).

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) Promotes Plant Tolerance to Drought.

A growing body of research points to a positive interplay between viruses and plants. Tomato yellow curl virus (TYLCV) is able to protect tomato host plants against extreme drought. To envisage the use of virus protective capacity in agriculture, TYLCV-resistant tomato lines have to be infected first with the virus before planting.

The six Tomato yellow leaf curl virus genes expressed individually in tomato induce different levels of plant stress response attenuation.

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a begomovirus infecting tomato plants worldwide. TYLCV needs a healthy host environment to ensure a successful infection cycle for long periods. Hence, TYLCV restrains its destructive effect and induces neither a hypersensitive response nor cell death in infected tomatoes.

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus infection mitigates the heat stress response of plants grown at high temperatures.

Cultured tomatoes are often exposed to a combination of extreme heat and infection with Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). This stress combination leads to intense disease symptoms and yield losses. The response of TYLCV-susceptible and resistant tomatoes to heat stress together with viral infection was compared.

Immunity to tomato yellow leaf curl virus in transgenic tomato is associated with accumulation of transgene small RNA.

Gene silencing is a natural defense response of plants against invading RNA and DNA viruses. The RNA post-transcriptional silencing system has been commonly utilized to generate transgenic crop plants that are "immune" to plant virus infection. Here, we applied this approach against the devastating DNA virus tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in its host tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.

Frequent migration of introduced cucurbit-infecting begomoviruses among Middle Eastern countries.

Background: In the early 2000s, two cucurbit-infecting begomoviruses were introduced into the eastern Mediterranean basin: the Old World Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) and the New World Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV). These viruses have been emerging in parallel over the last decade in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.

Methods: We explored this unique situation by assessing the diversity and biogeography of the DNA-A component of SLCV and WmCSV in these five countries.

First Report of Recombinant Potato virus Y Strains Infecting Potato in Jordan.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Jordan, occupying second position after olives. In 2012, potatoes were planted on about 6,000 ha with a production of about 141,000 t (2).

Detection of Satellite DNA Beta in Tomato Plants with Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Disease in Jordan.

In Jordan, as well as many countries in the region, tomato production is threatened by begomoviruses belonging to the tomato yellow leaf curl virus complex (1). In 2013, an experiment was conducted at Homret Al-Sahen, Jordan (GPS coordinates 32°05'06″ N, 35°38'52″ E), to evaluate different tomato breeding lines for resistance against viruses causing tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD). Disease symptoms, typical of those caused by TYLCV complex, were observed in many susceptible lines.

First Report on the Association of Squash leaf curl virus and Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus with Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Disease.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) is one of the most economically important vegetable crops in Jordan. Tomato cultivation in many countries in the Mediterranean basin is affected by several virus species belonging to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus complex (3).

Diagnosis and control of cereal viruses in the Middle East.

Middle Eastern countries are major consumers of small grain cereals. Egypt is the biggest bread wheat producer with 7.4 million tons (MT) in 2007, but at the same time, it had to import 5.

Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV): a serious disease threatening watermelon production in Jordan.

The incidence of watermelon chlorotic stunt disease and the molecular characterization of the Jordanian isolate of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV-[JO]) are described in this study. Symptomatic leaf samples obtained from watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.), melon (Cucumis melo L.

Oligonucleotide microarray-based detection and genotyping of Plum pox virus.

Plum pox virus (PPV) is the most damaging viral pathogen of stone fruits. The detection and identification of its strains are therefore of critical importance to plant quarantine and certification programs. Existing methods to screen strains of PPV suffer from significant limitations such as the simultaneous detection and genotyping of several strains of PPV in samples infected with different isolates of the virus.

Post-transcriptional gene silencing in controlling viruses of the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus complex.

Tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) is caused by a group of geminiviruses that belong to the Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) complex and are transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.). The disease causes great yield losses in many countries throughout the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.