Screening for tomato leaf curl Palampur virus resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars through phytochemical characterization and enzyme activity analysis

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume crop worldwide as a major source of protein in the human diet. In the present study, for the first time, tomato leaf curl Palampur virus (ToLCPalV) (Begomovirus, Geminiviridae) was detected in the west of Iran. As it was realized that ToLCPalV was widespread from the east to the west of Iran and the virus-host range was increasing, this study aims to evaluate the twelve popularly grown common bean cultivars in a completely randomized design experiment for their reaction to the virus under greenhouse conditions. According to the biochemical, physiological, and molecular assays, it could be concluded that Dadfar, Ghafar, Ofogh, and Naz cultivars were resistant to ToLCPalV infection. Results showed that peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzymes appear to act as resistance factors because their activities were higher in resistant cultivars compared to susceptible cultivars, and this was proved by hierarchical cluster analysis between the twelve cultivars.