Diagnosis of cereal Viruses in the Middle East

Middle Eastern countries are major consumers of small grain cereals. For example, Egypt is the biggest bread wheat importer with 5.9 Million Tons (MT) although, it itself produces 10.5 MT. Jordan and Israel import almost all the grains they consume. Viruses are the major factors that impair production in Middle East. They are transmitted in non persistent, semi persistent and persistent manners by insects (aphids, leafhoppers and mites) and through soil and seeds. Hence, there is a need to control insect-borne cereal viruses not only in the field but also through plant quarantine services for imported seed-and soil-borne viruses. Viruses need to be controlled in the frame of regional collaborative activities involving the Middle Eastern countries. The means to be used to diagnose cereal viruses may include symptom observation, immunological technologies such as ELISA using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the virus coat protein (raised against purified virions or against the virus capsid protein expressed in bacteria or in yeast), molecular techniques such as PCR (uniplex and multiplex), RFLP, SSCP and microarrays. In this study, we explore the different diagnosis, typing and detection techniques of cereal viruses available to the Middle Eastern countries and we review the ongoing collaborative research projects.