FIG 4.

The crude extracts of SlaGemV-1 virions protected the tomato plants from S. sclerotiorum infection. (A) Fungal homogenate was prepared by blending fungal hyphae in PDB and using low-speed centrifugation to separate the hyphal fragments as a method of extracting viral particles, diluted to OD₆₀₀ values of 4.0, 3.0, and 2.0, and sprayed on plants which were inoculated with hyphal agar plugs applied to two leaves per plant. The control was sprayed with double-distilled water. The fungal-pathogen-infected plants were kept in an incubator with 100% humidity at 22°C, and images of the lesions were taken at 6 dpi. (B) Protective activity of SlaGemV-1 against white mold disease. The crude preparation efficiently protected intact plants from infection with S. sclerotiorum when the OD₆₀₀ of the viral particles was greater than or equal to 2.0. The images of whole plants were taken at 16 dpi. (C) The disease severity was rated at 16 dpi (*, P < 0.05; ****, P < 0.0001). The rating was performed based on a scale of 0 to 5: 0, no disease; 1, restricted lesion on leaf; 2, expanded lesion on leaf; 3, leaf with expanded lesion and start of stem colonization; 4, severe stem colonization; 5, plant completely dead.