Viability and characteristics of columnea latent viroid isolated from tomato seeds produced in Thailand

Abstract Columnea latent viroid (CLVd; the genus Pospiviroid) was detected in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seeds produced in Thailand in 2021 when performing the export inspection. Inoculated tomato plants presented with severe stunting and stem and leaf vein necrosis, similar to the highly virulent variant. This suggests CLVd viability on the seeds was maintained. BLAST analysis revealed that the complete genome shared the highest identity (98.9%) with the CLVd variant (accession no. JF446929) found in Thailand and is a new variant. This CLVd variant was classified into the same clade as several previously isolated CLVd variants in Thailand based on phylogeny.