Lily samples collected from commercial cut flower growing field at Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India were serologically tested through direct antigen coating-ELISA and dot immuno binding assay for the infection of potyvirus through potyvirus group specific polyclonal antibody. The RT-PCR using potyvirus universal degenerate primers (PNIbF1/PCPR1) showed the presence of a potyvirus and the sequencing results showed the association of lily mottle virus (LMoV). Further LMoV was confirmed by RT-PCR amplification using newly designed primer pair covering entire coat protein gene and sequence results showed 100% nucleotide identity with the LMoV reported from South Korean. To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed evidence for the occurrence of LMoV on lily in southern India.
Keywords: DAC-ELISA; DIBA; Lilium; Lily virus; Potyvirus; RT-PCR.