Monitoring Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) on Recent Sugarcane Varieties in East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Background and Objective: Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) is a member of the genus Potyvirus (family of Potyviridae) causing mosaic worldwide distributed. Recently, local varieties including a variety of NXI-4T (a genetically modified sugarcane) were cultivating in East Java, which has never been monitored for SCMV occurrence. This research aimed to monitor the SCMV distribution among local varieties recently cultivated in East Java. Materials and Methods: The research was performed in the 4 Sugarcane Plantation under the authority of the company of Nusantara XI in East Java between October-November, 2017. The SCMV monitoring was done by estimating the disease incidence on 10% of plants of each location. Confirmation of the virus was done by RT-PCR and western blot. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were estimated by colorimetric assay at dual wavelengths of 645 and 663 nm. Results: The data showed that the incidence of mosaic disease on all varieties observed was below 20% and categorized as resistant to mosaic disease while NXI-4T (genetically modified sugarcane) had a higher incidence of a mosaic than other varieties. The additional analysis confirmed and proved that mosaic disease on all local varieties was caused by SCMV according to RT-PCR and western blot assay. The decrease of chlorophyll was the consequence of SCMV infection. Conclusion: The SCMV was more frequently occurred on genetically modified sugarcane NXI 4T than others of non-genetically modified sugarcane.