LAUSR

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), a member of the genus Tobamovirus, is an important quarantine plant virus worldwide, and often causes seriously damages to productions of watermelon, melon, cucumber and other cucurbit crops. In this study, we developed a novel isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) technique for detection of CGMMV in watermelon samples. A pair of CGMMV specific RPA primers was prepared based on the conserved CGMMV coat protein gene sequences. The result showed that this RPA detection method can be performed at 38 °C and completed in about 30 min, and there was no cross-reactivity with other common cucurbit viruses. Sensitivity assay showed that this RPA method was more sensitive compared with the regular RT-PCR. Using field-collected watermelon tissue samples, we have demonstrated that this newly developed method is rapid, easy to use and reliable for CGMMV detection, especially in resource-limited laboratories or on-site facilities.