By Jamie Martin
A new research breakthrough from Texas A&M AgriLife Research could help plant breeders develop peppers, tomatoes and other crops with stronger resistance to tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV).
The technology was developed by a team led by Jeanmarie Verchot, Ph.D., professor in the Texas A&M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. The researchers developed the first infectious clone of TSWV produced by U.S. scientists, providing a standardized research tool for studying the disease and the plant genetics associated with resistance.
Their work was detailed in the paper, “A Novel Approach to Engineering Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Infectious Clones by Disarming Key Nodes in Anti-Viral Defenses,” recently published in Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions by the American Phytopathological Society.
An infectious clone allows researchers to reproduce the virus in a controlled research environment. According to the Texas A&M team, the technology makes it possible to generate an unlimited supply of virus and inoculate plants used in breeding trials more efficiently. This could reduce the time breeders need to identify pepper and tomato genetics that can resist TSWV.
“Through our research, we can now produce an unlimited amount of virus, more efficiently inoculate trial plants and help pepper breeders move much faster in identifying superior, virus-resistant genetics,” Verchot said.
TSWV is a serious agricultural disease that affects more than 1,000 produce and ornamental plant varieties around the world. It is transmitted by thrips, insects that can spread the virus between plants and move into agricultural areas through regional wind patterns.
Disease infection can reduce crop yields and cause visible damage that makes produce unsuitable for sale. For growers, those losses can reduce income while increasing production costs. Consumers may ultimately face higher prices when disease reduces the available supply of produce.
The USDA Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program estimates that TSWV results in about $100 million in crop damage each year in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Growers have traditionally relied on crop varieties with genetic resistance to TSWV. However, new virus strains are emerging that can overcome existing resistance. Scientists have been examining the genomes of these strains to understand why some cause more severe disease.
The Texas A&M researchers developed a full-length complementary DNA copy of the genome from a TSWV strain that infects peppers. The clone produces infectious virus similar to the original isolate and provides researchers with a consistent starting point for experiments.
“This clone allows all U.S. researchers the same starting point, providing a more efficient tool for identifying the virus in crops and for creating disease management practices,” said Haden Ball, Verchot’s graduate student.
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