First Report of Tomato severe leaf curl virus in México

San Luis Potosi and Morelos are states situated in the north-central and south-central regions of Mexico, respectively, where a considerable area of agricultural land is occupied by tomato crops. In the summer of 2005, stunting and leaf curling/crumpling symptoms were observed in several tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) fields in Rioverde, San Luis Potosi (Rioverde-SLP). These symptoms and the existence of large populations of whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) in the affected fields suggested a viral etiology. Symptomatic tomato leaves collected during July and September of 2005 from several locations throughout the Rioverde area were assessed for begomovirus presence using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with three sets of degenerate primers: PAL1v1978/PAR1c496 (3), pCP70for/pCP70rev (1), and two new primers that specifically amplify DNA from viruses of the Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) lineage, prSL060-for (CGGCGTTRTRRTARACGTCGTC) and prSL150-rev (GCWGCC-AAAGACACCAAYGCCGT). These primers amplify ...