BIOLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ZUCCHINI YELLOW MOSAIC VIRUS ISOLATED FROM ZUCCHINI (Cucurbita pepo), SQUASH (C-maxima), AND PUMPKIN (C-moschata)

Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) is one of the most economically important viruses of cucurbit crops, causing severe mosaic, blistering of leaf lamina, malformation, and knobbed fruits, and presents an important biological variability. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and incidence of ZYMV in major summer (Cucurbita pepo), and winter squashes (C. maxinus, and C. moschata) growing areas of Turkey-Samsun. Field surveys were made in 2015-2016 cropping seasons in major cucurbit growing regions. In five regions, 225 symptomatic samples were collected. Samples from three different species of Cucurbita were tested by biological and serological method using ZYMV polyclonal antiserum. Serological test results revealed that 84 out of 225 samples contained ZYMV, 34 out of 70 zucchini (C. pepo) samples, 28 out of 90 squash (C. maxima) samples containing ZYMV, and 22 out of 65 pumpkin (C. moschata) samples had ZYMV in 2015-2016. Three ZYMV isolates were obtained from zucchini at Carsamba (ZYMV-CA), winter squash at Tekkekoy (ZYMV-TE), and pumpkin at Bafra (ZYMV-BA), and their biological variability was detected on different hosts, including cucurbit crops.