Gal-On, A., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Wolf, D., Department of Plant Genetics, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Antignus, Y., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Patlis, L., Department of Plant Genetics, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Ryu, K.H., Plant Virus GenBank, College of Natural Science, Seoul Women's University, Seoul 139-774, South Korea
Min, B.E., Plant Virus GenBank, College of Natural Science, Seoul Women's University, Seoul 139-774, South Korea
Pearlsman, M., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Lachman, O., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Gaba, V., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Wang, Y., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel, Boyce Thompson Inst. for Plant Res., Cornell University, Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
Shiboleth, Y.M., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Yang, J., Department of Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Zelcer, A., Department of Plant Genetics, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.B 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic tobamovirus (CFMMV) causes severe mosaic symptoms and yellow mottling on leaves and fruits and, occasionally, severe wilting of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants. No genetic source of resistance against this virus has been identified in cucumber. The gene coding for the putative 54-kDa replicase gene of CFMMV was cloned into an Agrobacterium tumefaciens binary vector, and transformation was performed on cotyledon explants of a parthenocarpic cucumber cultivar. R1 seedlings were screened for resistance to CFMMV by symptom expression, back inoculation on an alternative host and ELISA. From a total of 14 replicase-containing R1 lines, eight resistant lines were identified. Line I44 - homozygous for the putative 54-kDa replicase gene - was immune to CFMMV infection by mechanical and graft inoculation, and to root infection following planting in CFMMV-infested soil. A substantial delay of symptom appearance was observed following infection by three additional cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses. When used as a rootstock, line I44 protected susceptible cucumber scions from soil infection by CFMMV. This paper is the first report on protection of a susceptible cultivar against a soil-borne viral pathogen, by grafting onto a transgenic rootstock. © Springer 2005.