Molecular identification of tomato brown rugose fruit virus in tomato in Palestine

Tomato, a top cash crop, is infected by a number of viruses that cause drastic yield losses. Recently an unusual viral syndrome that resembled somewhat that induced by tobacco mosaic virus has been observed in Northern Palestine. The most affected tomatoes were of cultivars ‘Ikram’ and ‘Azmeer’. A study aimed at revealing the cause of the disease, identified the presence of an apparently undescribed tobamovirus. The virus genome was entirely sequenced and shown to be composed of 6391 nucleotides. Sequence analysis indicated that this virus was an isolate of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (TBRFV). This is the first time TBRFV was detected in Palestine on tomatoes and the name tomato brown rugose fruit virus-Palestinian isolate (TBRFV-Ps) is suggested. Molecular tools were developed for specific detection of the virus and sanitary actions to protect tomato production from TBRFV were recommended.