Illustrated Workbook for the Detection of Plant Viruses Infecting Cucurbits: Demonstration of the Use of Direct Immunoblotting Assays

There are at least 5 viruses of cucurbitaceous plants (squash, melons, cucumber, etc.) that frequently cause severe to complete economic loss for cucurbit producers in the tropics. These viruses are: zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), papaya ringspot virus watermelon isolate (PRSV-W, formerly watermelon mosaic virus 1 or WMV I), watermelon mosaic virus 2 (WMV 2), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and squash mosaic virus (SqMV). To accurately diagnose virus infections you must use a detection technique. Many techniques are available, including host plant range analysis and serological and molecular analysis. The purpose of our workshop and this illustrated workbook is to demonstrate the use of a serological technique called direct immunoblotting. The advantage of this technique is that it requires very little special equipment, the assay is relatively easy to perform and the assay has some characteristics that make it ideal for diagnosing problems associated with surveying island communities.Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Grant 99-38826-785