Maize chlorotic dwarf virus （MCDV） is a quarantine pest as approved by Chinese government. A rapid, sensitive and specific MCDV detection method using reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification （RT-LAMP） was estab- lished in this study. Based on the sequence of MCDV coat protein coding gene, specific primers were designed and similar sensitivities were observed between RT- LAMP and RT-PCR, except that RT-LAMP was quicker, and the reaction could be finished within 1 h. In addition, the presence or absence of the fluorescent display in daylight allows naked easy detection of the amplification of MCDV genomic RNA using calcein. The RT-LAMP assay was applied successfully to detect MCDV in maize seeds, and the result by the addition of calcein was consistent with the result detected by the real time turbidimeter.
