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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2020, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (12): 140-149.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2020030

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Detection of alfalfa mosaic virus and white clover mosaic virus in alfalfa and their effects on physiological and biochemical characteristics of alfalfa plants

Shou-feng CHENG(), Qiao-lan LIANG(), Lie-xin WEI, Xu-wen SANG, Yu-ling JIANG   

  1. Biocontrol Engineering Laboratory of Crop Diseases and Pests of Gansu Province,College of Plant Protection,Gansu Agricultural University,Lanzhou 730070,China
  • Received:2020-01-21 Revised:2020-04-13 Online:2020-12-28 Published:2020-12-28
  • Contact: Qiao-lan LIANG

Abstract:

In this study, we screened alfalfa (Medicago sativa) varieties that are grown on a large scale in Gansu Province for the presence of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) and white clover mosaic virus (WCMV), and determined the physiological and biochemical effects of these viruses on alfalfa plants. Twelve alfalfa varieties were cultivated in the laboratory for 30 days, and then viruses were detected using double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The effects of the viruses were determined by measuring the chlorophyll content, the activities of defensive enzymes, and the contents of soluble protein in alfalfa seedlings. The 12 alfalfa varieties could be divided into four groups: a non-infected group, an AMV-infected group, a WCMV-infected group, and an AMV/WCMV-infected group. Among all the plants, 66.7% were infected by one or both viruses (50% positive for AMV; 41.7% positive for WCMV, and 25% positive for AMV/WCMV). Analyses of variance indicated that AMV/WCMV co-infection and single-virus infection significantly decreased the chlorophyll content and the soluble protein content in alfalfa plants, compared with uninfected plants (CK). AMV/WCMV co-infection significantly decreased the chlorophyll content and the soluble protein content in alfalfa plants, compared with those infected with a single virus. Compared with uninfected plants and those infected by a single virus, plants co-infected with both AMV and WCMV showed significantly increased activities of defensive enzymes including peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Our findings show that infection with AMV and/or WCMV significantly affects the physiological and biochemical characteristics of different alfalfa varieties.

Key words: alfalfa, alfalfa mosaic virus, white clover mosaic virus, virus-carrying status, chlorophyll, defensive enzymes, soluble protein