Sesame curly top virus (SeCTV) is a new species of the genus Turncurtovirus in the family Geminiviridae and was reported for the first time in sesame in Iran in 2018. To determine the host range of SeCTV, 66 symptomatic plant samples showing yellowing, leaf curling, vein swelling and/or dwarfing were collected between 2017 and 2019 from vegetable and ornamental plants in Kerman province, south-eastern Iran.
Phytopathologists at the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman extracted DNA and confirmed SeCTV infection by PCR in alfalfa (5 of 13 plants), beans (5 of 7 plants), eggplants (2 of 6 plants), blanket flower [Gaillardia aristata (3 of 4 plants)], fava beans (2 of 12 plants), radish (6 of 14 plants) and watermelon (10 of 10 plants) samples.
"This finding indicates that SeCTV is widespread in vegetables crops in the Kerman province of Iran," the scientists say. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of SeCTV infecting fava beans, radish, alfalfa, bean, eggplant, watermelon and blanket flower".
Source: Vahid Hasanvand and Jahangir Heydarnejad, 'First report of sesame curly top virus infecting vegetables and ornamental plants in Iran', September 2020, Journal of Plant Pathology.