Validation of degenerate primers for the detection of begomovirus (geminivirus) causing leaf curl disease in papaya (Carica papaya L.)

Geminiviruses (Begomovirus) are widely recognized as a serious threat to papaya production in many tropical and subtropical regions of North India. This has increased the need for accurate identification of these viruses. Detection of Begomoviruses are well suited to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based methods because they replicate via a double stranded, circular DNA form. Primers were tested for their effectiveness in the amplification of viral DNA fragments from the DNA-A component. Two primer pairs designed to anneal the DNA-A component amplified viral DNA from begomovirus. Degenerate primers annealed to highly conserved nucleotide sequences in the genome of whitefly-transmitted begomovirus. This method also detected the mixed geminivirus infection. PCR using these degenerate begomovirus primers offers a rapid means of geminivirus detection, in way to boost up the integrated pest management strategy for viruses in papaya.