Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus detected for the first time in Turkey

Turkey is among the top 10 producers of cucumber, melon, watermelon, and squash in the world. Lately, seed-borne viruses have become a major issue in greenhouse and field-grown cucurbits. In this study, the incidence of kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV) was determined in seeds from various species (cucumber, melon, watermelon, summer squash, bottle gourd, winter squash) of Cucurbitaceae . KGMMV detection in a total of 20 seed lots of each cucurbit species was done by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RT-PCR. The highest virus incidence was 45% in melon followed by 25% in cucumber and 10% in squash. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of KGMMV in cucurbit crops in Turkey and this highlights the potential risk of KGMMV to commercial cucurbit seed lots.