plants Article Molecular Characterization of the Alfalfa mosaic virus Infecting Solanum melongena in Egypt and the Control of Its Deleterious Effects with Melatonin and Salicylic Acid Ahmed R. Sofy 1,* , Mahmoud R. Sofy 1,* , Ahmed A. Hmed 1, Rehab A. Dawoud 2,3 , Ehab E. Refaey 1, Heba I. Mohamed 4 and Noha K. El-Dougdoug 5 1 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt;
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[email protected] (E.E.R.) 2 Virus and Phytoplasma Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza 12619, Egypt;
[email protected] 3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, P.O. Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia 4 Department of Biological and Geological Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt;
[email protected] 5 Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (A.R.S.);
[email protected] (M.R.S.) Abstract: During the spring of 2019, distinct virus-like symptoms were observed in the Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate in Egypt in naturally infected eggplants. Leaves of affected plants showed interveinal Citation: Sofy, A.R.; Sofy, M.R.; leaf chlorosis, net yellow, chlorotic sectors, mottling, blisters, vein enation, necrotic intervention, and Hmed, A.A.; Dawoud, R.A.; Refaey, narrowing symptoms. The Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) was suspected of to be involved in this disease. E.E.; Mohamed, H.I.; El-Dougdoug, Forty plant samples from symptomatic eggplants and 10 leaf samples with no symptoms were N.K.