COMPARISON OF 3 DIFFERENT TESTS FOR DETECTION OF CUCUMBER MOSAIC CUCUMOVIRUS IN BANANA (MUSA-PARADISIACA)

Direct ELISAs like double antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA, simplified ra pid direct antigen coating (SRDAC)-ELISA and indirect form of DAC-ELIS A for detection of cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) causing infectiou s chlorosis of banana in leaf extracts and pseudostem sap exudates and purified virus diluted with antigen buffer or healthy banana leaf sap were compared. The sensitivity levels of three ELISA tests were simil ar and the virus was detected up to 10(-7) dilution with leaf extract, 1 mu l/well with sap exudate, 20 ng/well with purified CMV and 100 ng /well with purified virus diluted with healthy banana leaf extract, Of three forms of ELISA compared, DAC-ELISA was further evaluated with d etection of infectious virus by local lesion bioassay on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and by double stranded RNA (dsRNA) analysis, The banana leaf and pseudostem sap exudate samples that were positive in DAC-ELIS A were also positive by other two tests, Collection of pseudostem sap exudates by pin pricking from test plants and detection of virus by DA C-ELISA in them appears ideal for large-scale testing of banana plants .