Detection and diagnosis of PVY

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of Potato virus Y (PVY) poses a continuous challenge to efficient potato production. The accurate diagnosis of viruses such as PVY is inherently challenging due to the broad biological and genetic diversity of PVY strains that elicit a range of symptoms and diseases in various potato cultivars and related solanaceous species. A wide range of techniques have been developed over a period of 50 years for the detection of PVY. Serological methods such as ELISA, using polyclonal and especially monoclonal antibodies, have been widely used by most diagnostic laboratories, due to their cost effectiveness and capacity to implement for a large number of samples. Over the last decade, PCR-based assays have been routinely used in diagnostic laboratories because of their sensitivity, specificity and their capacity to be automated for high-throughput testing. The objective of this chapter is to provide a brief historical overview of the main diagnostic methods used to detect and identify PVY and to highlight those that are suitable for either research or diagnostic purposes.