Open Access

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFAs) are widely used for on-site testing; however, their use for the rapid detection of plant viruses in the field is often limited by inconvenient sample preparation. Here, we present a new sampling method and a simplified dipstick LFA format for the detection and monitoring of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) as a model plant pathogen. The assay employs a monoclonal mouse antibody for capture and a poly-clonal rabbit antibody conjugated to 80 nm gold nanoparticles for detection. Conventional sample and conjugate pads are omitted, allowing the test strips to be dipped directly into wells containing plant extract and antibody–gold conjugate. No plastic casing was required, which could lead to a reduction in waste. It was shown that CCMV concentrations as low as 3.5 µg/L or 350 pg per sample could be reliably detected in 15 min. Specificity tests confirmed that other plant viruses, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), did not produce false-positive results. In addition, we describe a new method for on-site sampling using a manual punch and a syringe equipped with a frit. This step combines grinding the sample, extraction, filtration, and reconstitution and mixing of the antibody-gold conjugate, enabling the analysis of punched leaf disks without laboratory equipment. When applied to CCMV-infected cowpea plants, the assay revealed systemic infection before visual symptoms became apparent. This work demonstrates that simplified LFAs combined with innovative sampling techniques can provide sensitive, specific, and rapid diagnostics for crop monitoring and support early intervention strategies in agriculture.

The cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) is a plant virus explored as a nanotechnological platform. The robust self-assembly mechanism of its capsid protein allows for drug encapsulation and targeted delivery. Additionally, the capsid nanoparticle can be used as a programmable platform to display different molecular moieties. In view of future applications, efficient production and purification of plant viruses are key steps. In established protocols, the need for ultracentrifugation is a significant limitation due to cost, difficult scalability, and safety issues. In addition, the purity of the final virus isolate often remains unclear. Here, an advanced protocol for the purification of the CCMV from infected plant tissue was developed, focusing on efficiency, economy, and final purity. The protocol involves precipitation with PEG 8000, followed by affinity extraction using a novel peptide aptamer. The efficiency of the protocol was validated using size exclusion chromatography, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, reversed-phase HPLC, and sandwich immunoassay. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the final eluate of the affinity column is of exceptional purity (98.4%) determined by HPLC and detection at 220 nm. The scale-up of our proposed method seems to be straightforward, which opens the way to the large-scale production of such nanomaterials. This highly improved protocol may facilitate the use and implementation of plant viruses as nanotechnological platforms for in vitro and in vivo applications.