A Tymovirus isolated from seeds of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cv. 'Paronset' with necrosis, named TyToRS08 isolate, was characterized by its host range, physical-chemical, serological and molecular properties. Firstly, it was successfully transmitted by mechanical inoculation by infected seeds, and the host range was restricted to species of Amaranthaceae, Chenopo diaceae and Solanaceae. The symptoms induced by the virus in tomatoes 'Alambra', 'Thomas', 'Diva', 'Romana' and 'Graziela' were mainly mosaic and white necrosis. Nicotiana sylvestris, N. tabacum 'Samsun', 'White Burley' and 'Xanthi' were symptomless. The virus was detected in seeds from five tomato cultivars, but it was not detected in seedlings from these infected seeds. The purified preparation had a high concentration of 1.04 mg mL-1, and the title of the polyclonal antiserum produced, evaluated in PTA-ELISA, was 1/32.768. RT-PCR was performed with degenerated primers directed to the ORF 1 of the tymoviruses, resulting in a DNA fragment of 700 bp. The sequence analysis revealed that TyToRS08 isolate presents higher values of percentage of identity with other species of Tymovirus. The highest identity values were under 70%, indicating that TyToRS08 should be a distinct species of the genus Tymovirus, with great epidemiological importance due to its high stability and potential to be spread by tomato seeds.
Tymoviridae; Solanum lycopersicum; transmission; seed
