Identification of Watermelon iflavirus 1（WIV1）

doi:10.16178/j.issn.0528-9017.20250824

Abstract

Abstract:

This study aimed to identify the pathogen responsible for typical viral disease symptoms observed in watermelon plants in Zhejiang Province，including vein distortion，leaf crumpling，and downward curling. Total RNA extracted from symptomatic leaves was subjected to meta-transcriptomic sequencing. Through sequence assembly and alignment，a novel virus species belonging to the family Iflaviridae was identified and named Watermelon iflavirus 1（WIV1）. Subsequent RT-PCR and DNA sequencing validation detected specific sequences of this virus in 7 out of 10 diseased leaf samples，yielding a positive detection rate of 70%. Further genomic annotation revealed that WIV1 encoded a single open reading frame，and the putative polyprotein shared high amino acid sequence homology with polyproteins of known members in the family Iflaviridae，consistent with the characteristics of typical Iflavirus. For the first time，this study reports the infection of watermelon plants in China by WIV1，providing a theoretical basis for pathogen identification，pathogenesis research，and the development of integrated control strategies for this viral disease.

Key words: watermelon, virus, Watermelon iflavirus 1（WIV1）, viral disease

CLC Number:

S432.4⁺1

WANG Haoran, WANG Yucong, XIAO Ming, MING Ke, WU Huijie, FENG Guozhong. Identification of Watermelon iflavirus 1（WIV1）[J]. Journal of Zhejiang Agricultural Sciences, 2026, 67(9): 2265-2269.

Figures/Tables 4

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