Bădărău Carmen Liliana, et. al. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications www.ijera.com ISSN: 2248-9622, Vol. 11, Issue 11, (Series-II) November 2021, pp. 42-49 www.ijera.com DOI: 10.9790/9622-1111024249 42 | Page The Chlorophyll and Anthocyanin Content of Potato Mop Top Virus Infected Potato Plants and Their Association with the Foliar Symptoms (Preliminary Study) Bădărău Carmen Liliana * , **, Tican Andreea**, Cioloca Mihaela** *(Department of Engineering and Management of Food and Tourism, Transilvania University from Brașov, 29 Eroilor Street, 500036, Brașov, Romania) ** (Department of Tissue Cultures, National Institute of Potato and Sugar Beet, 2 Fundăturii Street, 500470, Brasov, Romania,) ** (Department of Tissue Cultures, National Institute of Potato and Sugar Beet, 2 Fundăturii Street, 500470, Brasov, Romania,) ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of Potato Mop Top Virus (PMTV) infections on the level of some foliar pigments content in positive plants (from Carrera, Hermes, Gared, Marvis and Temerar cultivars) with and without symptoms. Performing and monitoring the vegetative state of plants was done under greenhouse conditions, by estimation the chlorophyll (portable device SPAD 502 Chlorophyll Meter) and the anthocyanin (portable device ACM 200 plus, Antocianin Chlorophyll Meter) content of the leaflets. Regarding the content of anthocyanin, it was found small increase of anthocyanin content in case of PMTV infected material without symptoms (but the values were not statistically supported). As opposed the anthocyanin, monitoring the chlorophyll content indicated significant correlations with the type of the tested material. Keywords – Potato Mop Top Virus, symptoms, chlorophyll, anthocyanin --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 04-11-2021 Date of Acceptance: 18-11-2021 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Considered a common product, cheap food, poor people’s food and the plant of poor areas, the potato is actually a product that helps improving the daily diet being rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. For Romania, the potato is a strategic food, contributing to the national food safety system. Our country is ranked on the third position in Europe in terms of area cultivated with potatoes (after Poland and Germany) [1].Potato is the third most consumed food, after rice and maize [2] and their tubers are recognized as a good source of carbohydrates, essential amino acids. vitamin B1, B3 and B6, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium [3]. Being a good nutrients source, the potato has many damaging enemies (including the viruses) that can reduce the yield and the quality of production. Potato mop-top virus (PMTV) can be transmitted by planting infected seed tubers [4] and by zoospores of the plasmodiophorid Spongospora subterranea, the cause of powdery scab [5]. PMTV typically produces slightly raised lines and rings on the tuber surface and/or brown arcs and lines, commonly described as spraing, in the flesh of tubers of sensitive cultivars [6,7]. Plants produces from infected tubers may also produce misshapen or cracked tubers [4], often with reticulate surface cracking, sometimes known as elephant hide blemishing, on the skin [8]. Symptoms may also develop on the foliage of a plant depending on the sensitivity of the cultivar. In summary, there were three types of foliar symptoms: yellow blotches or V shaped chevrons on the leaves, distortion of leaflets accompanied by blotching and a shortening of internodes resulting in a dwarfed appearance (mop- top). In many cases, only a proportion of the stems may bear symptoms of PMTV infection [9]. With insensitive cultivars, PMTV infection can result in no symptoms developing on the foliage [10] but the extent to which symptomless foliar infection might occur in crops containing plants with foliar symptoms has not been examined. Although roguing, i.e. the removal of diseased plants, was suggested by Cooper et al. (1976) [11] as a control measure for improving the health crops infected by PMTV, experimental evidence on its potential impact has not been assessed. The experimental studies in this work research aimed to evaluate the effects of PMTV infections, on chlorophyll and anthocyanin content in case of plants with and without symptoms. RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS