First report of begomoviruses infecting pepper (Capsicum spp.) crops in Colombia

Viruses of the genus Begomovirus infect crops of economic importance around the world, including pepper. To date, in Colombia there are no reports of the presence of begomoviruses infecting this crop; therefore, this research work aimed to identify the presence of viruses of this genus in pepper using molecular strategies. Around 197 pepper samples were collected in ten municipalities in Valle del Cauca. Total plant genomic DNA was extracted, and the presence of begomoviruses was detected by using PCR. In order to establish the molecular identity of the virus, fragments of 1.4 kb were amplified from samples collected in Palmira and Vijes municipalities. The fragments obtained were cloned, sequenced, and analyzed. The results show that about 85.7 % of the pepper samples evaluated were positive for begomoviruses. Sequence analysis of the viral fragments of 1.4 kb showed an identity of 91.8 % among them. The nucleotide sequence analysis of the begomoviruses isolated in Vijes and Palmira showed its highest identity values (87.2 % and 86.6 %) with the passion fruit leaf distortion virus, a begomovirus that is affecting passion fruit crops in Colombia. These sequences analyze would indicate that this begomovirus isolated from pepper could be a new species that has not been reported worldwide. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a begomovirus infecting pepper crops in Colombia.