Molecular detection of potato yellow vein virus (PYVV; Crinivirus flavisolani) in tomato tissues from Colombia

Potato yellow vein virus (PYVV; Crinivirus flavisolani) is a major limiting virus in potato production in Colombia and other South American countries. This virus is transmitted by both seed tubers and the whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum. While PYVV has also been reported in naranjilla, cape gooseberry, and tomato, its epidemiology in these solanaceous species remains poorly understood. Unlike potatoes, these crops are propagated by sexual seeds and are commercially distributed as seedlings. This study evaluated the presence of PYVV in tomato crops from various departments in Colombia using RT-qPCR with different tissues including leaves, fruit pericarp, seeds, and seedling shoots. The genomic identity of the virus was confirmed through high-throughput sequencing (HTS) of leaf samples from the Chonto tomato variety. A seed-to-seedling transmission assay was also conducted using surface-disinfected seeds cultured in vitro on MS medium. The virus was detected in 75% of fruit samples, 35% of leaf samples, and 40% of seedling shoot samples, but only in 10% of non-commercial seeds and none of the commercial seeds. HTS enabled assembly of the nearly complete viral genome with high sequencing depth. The in vitro assay indicated that PYVV has a low-frequency seed-to-seedling transmission in tomato, suggesting that disease management strategies should prioritize control of the whitefly vectors.