Serological and molecular evidences of cucumber mosaic virus infection in Valeriana jatamansi in Himachal Pradesh, India

Indian valerian (Valeriana jatamansi) is a highly valuable perennial herb that grows at higher altitudes of the Indian Himalayan Region. Essential oil and plant extracts derived from roots and rhizomes are used in flavoring, aromatic and pharmaceutical industries. These underground parts contain bioactive compounds such as valepotriates, including valtrate, didrovaltrate, acevaltrate, valtroxal, valerenic acid and badrinol that are vital for formulation of sedative and anxiolytic drugs. However, several plants were found to exhibit symptoms that are typical of plant virus infection. Infection of virus on plants leads to a severe reduction in plant vigour and essential oil content. Characteristic symptoms include chlorotic or yellow mosaic and stunted plant growth. Foliar samples of diseased plants were taken, DAS-ELISA and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses were used to detect the viruses in the diseased plants. The results revealed that cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was present in all the plants showing the symptoms of virus infection.