Abstract:
Duranta repens is an evergreen ornamental plant and has many medicinal uses. It has been shown
to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, and insecticide properties. Its phytoconstituents are reported
as the basis of its efficacious therapeutic properties. The leaf curl disease of Duranta repens is
prevalent in Pakistan and exhibits symptoms typical of begomoviral infection. In present
study,some of the infected plants having symptoms of severe leaf curling were observed in the
vicinity of NUST, Pakistan during 2018.The investigation of begomovirus and betasatellite
association having symptoms of duranta disease was done by sequence analysis through PCR.
Universal primers WTGF/WTGR and Beta01/Beta02 were used for amplification of ∼1.5 kb and
∼1kb DNA fragment for begomovirus (DNA-A) and β-DNA respectively. The highest nucleotide
sequence identity (90%) and phylogenetic interpretations revealed close relation of begomovirus
(DNA-A) and β-satellite spotted in D. repens with Rose Leaf Curl Virus (RoLCuV). This result
indicated that D. repens plants infested with RoLCuV and related satellite DNA act as reservoir
that could lead to increased incidence of rose leaf curl disease in Pakistan and could also lead to
the evolution of new virus and satellite species by recombination.
