Monitoring and Molecular Genetic Characterization of Phytoviruses Infecting Chickpea

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an economically important legume crop cultivated in Uzbekistan, and viral infections negatively affect plant growth, development, and grain yield.This study aimed to monitor virus-associated symptoms in chickpea fields and molecularly characterize the Polerovirus species infecting this crop.Field surveys carried out in the Tashkent Region revealed typical virus symptoms, including leaf curling, chlorosis, reddening of leaf margins, thickened lamina, and delayed flowering.A total of 103 symptomatic plant samples incurred analysis using the tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Immunological analysis identified luteoviruses in 47.5% of the samples.Molecular assay confirmed the presence of beet western yellows virus (BWYV) and cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV) in chickpea plants.The coat protein (CP) gene of the BWYV-TS1 isolate underwent sequencing before being deposited in the GenBank (PQ671646).Phylogenetic analysis disclosed the highest similarity between the Uzbek isolate and Eurasian isolates, forming a regional cluster.The results provide the first molecular evidence of BWYV infecting chickpea in Uzbekistan and highlight the need for future virus management strategies and resistance breeding.