Molecular evidence of ‘N’ strain of potato virus Y causing mosaic disease on hot pepper (Capsicum annuum) in India

The association of Potato virus Y infection with mosaic disease of hot pepper was detected during small scale survey conducted in Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu. The symptomatic plant samples showing prominent mosaic symptoms were collected and subjected to RT-PCR using Potyvirusdegenerate primer (PNIb1F& PCPR1) specific to Nib and coat protein genes. The molecular characterization implicated that Potyvirusassociated with mosaic disease in hot pepper as Potato virus Y (PVY). Further, phylogenetic analysis explicated that PVY infecting hot pepper as necrotic strain (N). To our knowledge this is the first molecular evidence for the association of ‘N’ strain of Potato virus Y with mosaic disease of hot pepper in India.