The two researchers, Dr. Adnan Abdaljeleel Lahuf and graduate student Muhammad Saadoun Muhammad from the College of Agriculture / University of Karbala from the complete molecular diagnosis and characterization for the first time at the country level of two viruses, Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) and Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), which infect tree crops, using a technique Modern Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Dr. Lahuf said that although the SLCV virus was previously diagnosed on Squash, the diagnosis was based on the sequence of nitrogenous bases for part of the protein coat gene only, while in our study we were able to determine the sequence of nitrogenous bases for its entire genome, which was found to consist of two segments, segment DNA. A-segment, with a length of 2633 base pairs, and segment DNA-B, with a length of 2608 base pairs. The results of the genetic kinship analysis also showed that it is related to the strains of the same virus spread in the countries of the Middle East, which indicates the possibility of its entry to Iraq for the first time from one of these countries. As for the SqVYV virus, it was found that it was previously recorded, but on other crops, while our recording of its complete genome is the first of its kind on Squash, and this clearly indicates the broad family range of this virus. Note that its genome consists of a single segment with a length of 10,054 base pairs. The results of the genetic kinship analysis showed that it is related to the strains spread in the occupied land of Palestine and the United States of America.
This record was documented in the GenBank of the National Center for Biotechnology Information under the names Squash leaf curl virus isolate Baghdad-1/Iraq segment DNA-A and Squash leaf curl virus isolate Baghdad-1. 1/Iraq segment DNA-B and Squash vein yellowing virus isolate Baghdad-1/Iraq. The usefulness of this diagnosis and complete characterization contributes to determining the types of plant viruses that infect the Squash, which is one of the important vegetable crops in Iraq, for the purpose of breeding and developing varieties that are resistant to all viruses that may infect this crop. The two researchers had discovered and recorded two other viruses, for the first time in Iraq, that infect the same crop in the same study.
