Antiviral activity of Thuja orientalis extracts against watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) on Citrullus lanatus

Abstract

Watermelon mosaic potyvirus (WMV) is considered as an important virus infecting watermelon and causing adverse effects on crop productivity. To overcome this problem one of the main objectives of plant breeders is to make these strains less effective in the ability to infect plants by treatment with plant extracts. Due to the advantages of plant tissue culture, in vitro, in the process of the selection of different cultivars under biotic stress, this study was conducted to achieve this aim by evaluating the effect of three concentrations of Thuja extract on the multiplication of WMV in watermelon by measuring callus fresh weight and soluble proteins (mg g(-1) fresh weight) of healthy and infected hypocotyl explants. Also, WMV was isolated from naturally infected watermelon and characterized as potyvirus by serological and molecular analyses. The isolated virus gave a positive reaction with WMV antiserum compared with other antibodies of CMV, ZYMV and SqMV using DAS-ELISA. RT-PCR, with the specific primer for WMV-cp. gene, yielded 825 base pair DNA fragments. The results that belong to soluble protein analysis indicated that infected hypocotyl explants treated with 6 g L(-1) recorded the highest rate in the number of soluble protein bands compared with the rest of treatments. As a conclusion of these results, we can recommend to apply the Thuja extract at 6 g L(-1) as a optimum dosage to decrease the infection caused by watermelon mosaic potyvirus.

The Phytochemical, Antifungal, and First Report of the Antiviral Properties of Egyptian Haplophyllum tuberculatum Extract

“…Reports of the antiviral activities of plant crude extracts and their constituents against plant viral infection have increased during the last decade [ 32 ]. Many plant extracts of Boerhaavia diffusa , Clerodendrum aculeatum , Mirabilis jalapa , Potentilla arguta , Sambucus racemosa , and Thuja orientalis exhibit inhibitory effects against plant viruses [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Additionally, several virus-inhibiting compounds, including flavonoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and proteins, have been isolated from higher plants [ 31 ].…”

Molecular detection of watermelon mosaic virus associated with a serious mosaic disease on Cucurbita pepo L. in Shanxi, China

“…WMV is one of the economically important plant viruses in the world and has a wide range of hosts, including at least 170 plant species from 27 plant families. WMV can infect all tissues and causes adverse effects in cucurbits [6]. Our investigation about field disease revealed that a majority of C. pepo L. exhibited typical mosaic symptoms in Shanxi, which seriously affected their yield and quality.…”

Pesticides vs. Biopesticides: From Pest Management to Toxicity and Impacts on the Environment and Human Health

“…The literature includes a large number of studies focusing on the use of essential oils and crude plant extracts in the control of several types of pests, with favorable results. Pesticide-like chemical species found in plants have been reported to be effective against insects [ 121 ], fungi [ 122 ], bacteria [ 123 ], nematodes [ 124 ], and viruses [ 125 ]. Thus, the insecticidal effect of Artemisia annua , A. absinthium , A. camphorata , A. dracunculus , and A. vulgaris was investigated on the larvae of the watermelon worm, Diaphania hyalinata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a pest of Cucurbitaceae , as well as for their selectivity to ants of the species Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the jatai bee, Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) (Meliponinae).…”