DIVERSITY OF VIRUSES INFECTING ZEA MAYS L. IN UKRAINE

Background. Maize (Zea mays L.) is an annual plant of the Poaceae family, one of the world's most important cereal crops, which is the basis for food supply in many countries. Viral diseases of maize are one of the reasons for its yield losses and grain quality reduction. The aim of the work was to identify and determine the spread of maize viruses in different regions of Ukraine in 2021–2023. Methods. Double or tripple antibody sandwich (DAS or TAS) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for detection of 11 viruses including maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV), High Plains wheat mosaic virus (HPWMoV), sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV), maize streak virus (MSV), maize mosaic virus (MMV), maize white line mosaic virus (MWLMV), wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV), and brome mosaic virus (BMV). For ELISA, commercial test systems were used (Loewe Biochemica (Germany) and Agdia (USA). Results. ELISA confirmed the presence of SCMV in agrocenoses in Kyiv region (35 % of symptomatic plants) and BYDVPAV in maize samples collected in Vinnytsia (4.3 %) and Kyiv (8 %) regions. Overall occurrence of SCMV and BYDV-PAV in tested symptomatic maize plants was 197 % and 6 %, correspondingly. It should be noted that the plants infected with SCMV had different symptoms in the form of a mottle or stripe mosaic. Although maize plants sampled in the Kharkiv region showed clear symptoms of virus infection, none of the tested viruses were identified. Conclusions. The circulation of SCMV and BYDV-PAVin maize plants was confirmed in Ukrainian agrocenoses in 2021- 2023, and this is the first report of BYDV-PAVin maize in Ukraine. The necessity of expanding the list of viruses under investigation on Zea mays in Ukraine is shown.