Welcome to Arab Journal of Plant Protection
CURRENT ISSUE

Volume 44, Issue 2, June 2026

eSSN 2412-5407
pISSN 0255-982X

مجلة وقاية النبات العربية

Arab Journal of Plant Protection

A Regional Scientific Journal Published Four Times a Year by the Arab Society for Plant Protection

Under Publication
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Survey of Major Eggplant Viruses in Tunisia and Molecular Characterization of Eggplant Mottled Dwarf Virus (EMDV)

Nahdi1, 2*, M. Khedhiri-Trabelsi1, C. Sacco Botto 3, A. de Stradis 4, R. Abou Kubaa4,5, B. M’rabet-Samaali6, S. Boukhris-Bouhachem2,7, R. Souissi2 and S. Matić3,8

(1) Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture du Kef, Université de Jendouba, Jendouba 7119, Tunisia; (2) Laboratoire de Protection des Végétaux (LPV), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique de Tunisie, Université de Carthage, Menzah 1, Tunis 1004, Tunisia; (3) Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council (CNR), 10135 Torino, Italy; (4) Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), National Research Council (CNR), 70126 Bari, Italy; (5) Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (6) Laboratoire des Analyses Virologiques de Morneg, Direction Générale de la Protection et du Contrôle de la Qualité des Intrants Agricoles, Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Ressources Hydrauliques et de la Pêche, Le belvédère, Tunis 1002, Tunisia; (7) Laboratory of Management and Valorization of Forest Resources, National Institute of Researches On Rural Engineering, Water and Forests, 2080 Ariana, Tunisia; (8) Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy.

*Email address of the corresponding author: [email protected]

DOI https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001485

Abstract

This study assessed the prevalence and distribution of viral infections impacting eggplants (Solanum melongena L.) in Tunisia, based on samples collected from various regions in 2023. Typical viral symptoms, including leaf deformation, chlorotic rings, mosaics, mottling, and stunted growth, were observed across different cultivation systems (open fields, heated greenhouses, and un-heated greenhouses). Transmission electron microscopy identified bullet-shaped and bacilliform rhabdovirus-like particles in three symptomatic plants. A total of 151 symptomatic samples were analyzed via RT-PCR to detect seven viruses: Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Eggplant mottled crinkle virus (EMCV), Eggplant mottled dwarf virus (EMDV), Potato virus X (PVX), Potato virus Y (PVY), and Pepper yellow vein Mali virus (PepYVMV). EMDV was the only virus detected, with the highest relative infection rate found in Cap Bon (52.08%), followed by Gabes (32.25%), Kebili (28%), and Sousse (27.27%). Infections were more prevalent in open fields (52.08%) compared to heated (29.62%) and un-heated greenhouses (27.27%). While EMDV has been reported previously in Tunisia, molecular characterization was not conducted until this study. This research provided the first genetic data on EMDV in the country, addressing a crucial knowledge gap. Phylogenetic analysis of the polymerase gene revealed a 99.1% similarity between the Tunisian isolate and those from France and other Mediterranean countries. These findings enhance our understanding of EMDV’s epidemiology and will assist in developing future strategies for disease management.

Keywords:

Solanum melongena, Eggplant viruses, EMDV, RT-PCR, Transmission Electron Microscopy, phylogenetic analysis.