Field Deployable Vertical Flow Based Immunodevice for Detection of Potato Virus Y in Potato Leaves

Potato is the most staple nongrain food crop grown across the globe. Potato is affected by a variety of viruses that multiply very rapidly within the host resulting in compromised productivity. Generally, viral infections are very rapid that devastate several acres of the crop within a very limited time frame. Hence, a rapid and nonlaboratory screening of potato plants for pathogenic viruses is crucial to curb the economic losses. Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most widespread and damaging viruses responsible for potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD) affecting potato cultivation globally. As a result, early detection of PVY is crucial in limiting its spread. In the present study, we have designed and developed a highly sensitive vertical flow based immunodevice (VFID) for detection of PVY. The proposed VFID combines the formation of sandwich immunocomplex with gold nanoparticle to produce visual results in 3-4 min. Furthermore, key factors influencing the VFID assay development were determined to enable enhanced efficiency, sensitivity, and accuracy. The relative error ranging between a value of 0.27 and 2.5% indicated the excellent accuracy and performance of the proposed VFID. The proposed VFID assay acts as a robust, simple, specific, affordable detection tool on validation with potato leaf samples. The proposed immunodevice has great commercialization potential for early diagnosis of PVY in the potato agricultural area.

Automated summary

Potato cultivation globally is severely affected by viruses, particularly Potato virus Y (PVY) causing significant economic losses. A newly designed vertical flow based immunodevice (VFID) offers rapid and accurate detection of PVY in potato plants. With great commercialization potential, the proposed VFID assay is a robust, specific, and affordable tool for early diagnosis of PVY in the agriculture sector.