First report of pepper as a natural new host for Tomato marchitez virus in Sinaloa, Mexico

Tomato marchitez virus (ToMarV) was observed infecting pepper as a natural new host in Sinaloa, Mexico during the annual growth season (September 2010 to May 2011). Symptoms typical of viral infection consisted of yellow mosaic, upward leaf curling, crinkling, and stunting. The presence of whiteflies was observed on the affected plants, indicating possible vectors of the virus. Samples from symptomatic plants tested negative for the presence of viruses in the genera Begomovirus and Crinivirus, both of which are whitefly-transmitted. The results from RT-PCR and sequencing analysis indicated that ToMarV (genus Torradovirus) was present in six out of 15 samples. Subsequently, sap from infected leaves was used to successfully transmit the virus by mechanical inoculation to three pepper cultivars. This is the first report of Tomato marchitez virus infection on pepper in Mexico.