Carry and vector of Lettuce big vein disease, LBVD and molecular detection of Olpidium species

This study was carried out to determine the Lettuce big-vein disease (LBVD) in the areas where lettuce is grown in Adana and Mersin provinces in the autumn and winter periods of 2017-2021, the factors causing this disease (Lettuce Big-Vein Associated Virus, LBVaV, and Mirafiori Lettuce Big-Vein Virus, MiLBVV) and molecular determination of vectors (O. brassicae, O. bornovanus and O. virulentus) involved in the transmission of these factors. A total of 85 lettuce plants were sampled from a total of 85 lettuce plants that were suspected to be infected with LBVD (MiLBVV, LBVaV) or showed no symptoms at the exits of the field, and as a result of ELISA tests, MiLBVV was detected in 18 plants. In RT-PCR studies, MiLBVV(1) and MiLBVV(2) primer pair for MiLBVV and 233 bp from Seyhan, Tarsus and Yumurtalık isolates; LBVaV specific primer pair VP-248 and VP-249 and 296 bp from Seyhan, Tarsus, Yumurtalık and Yuregir isolates; O. brassicae specific OLPbraF and OLPR primer pair and 204 bp from Tarsus isolates; O. bornovanus specific OLPborF and OLPR primer pair and 977 bp from Seyhan and Tarsus isolates; with the OLPvirF and OLPR primer pair specific for O virulentus, bands with a size of 579 bp were obtained from lettuce isolates collected from Seyhan, Tarsus, Yumurtalık and Yüreğir. As a result of RT-PCR studies, O. brassicae was detected in 5 plants, O. bornovanus in 10 plants and O. virulentus in 79 plants. Keywords: Lettuce, LBVD, Olpidium, DAS-ELISA, RT-PCR