Serological studies on the accumulation and localisation of three tomato leaf curl geminiviruses in resistant and susceptible Lycopersicon species and tomato cultivars

Summary Accessions of wild Lycopersicon spp. and selected Fl hybrid tomato cultivars were compared for their resistance to three whitefly‐transmissible geminiviruses: Indian tomato leaf curl virus (ITmLCV) and tomato yellow leaf curl viruses from Sardinia (TYLCV‐Sar) and Senegal (TYLCV‐Sen). The resistance of different plant lines was expressed in different ways but in most instances a given line reacted similarly to graft inoculation with the three viruses. L. pimpinellifolium LA1478 produced as much virus antigen, assessed by triple antibody sandwich‐ELISA, as the susceptible cv. Moneymaker but developed only very mild symptoms and is therefore tolerant of infection. In L. hirsutum LA1777 and L. peruvianum CMV‐INRA, very mild or no symptoms developed but antigen concentrations were substantially less than in Moneymaker. L. chilense LA1969 remained symptomless and its antigen concentration was < 1% of that in Moneymaker. Symptoms were mild or barely evident in the Fl hybrid cultivars. Cultivars Tyking and Fiona had antigen concentrations about 5–10% of those of Moneymaker, whereas TY20, Top 21 and Tyger had intermediate antigen concentrations. In a few instances, the extent to which virus accumulation was restricted depended on the challenge virus. Accumulation of TYLCV‐Sen in TY20, Top 21 and Tyger was less affected than that of the other two viruses, and accumulation of TYLCV‐Sar in accessions LA1777 and CMV‐INRA was less affected than that of TYLCV‐Sen or ITmLCV. Tissue‐printing tests showed that ITmLCV and TYLCV‐Sen antigens were confined to phloem tissue. In Tyking, the number of virus antigen‐containing phloem traces and the antigen content of individual traces were less than in Moneymaker but the partitioning of antigen between internal and external phloem was unaffected.