Plants resistant to cucumber mosaic virus strain V34

1. An isolated and purified DNA molecule comprising DNA encoding the coat protein of the V34 strain of cucumber mosaic virus.

2. The isolated and purified DNA molecule of claim 1 wherein the DNA molecule comprises the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:5.

3. A vector comprising a chimeric expression cassette comprising the DNA molecule of claim 1 , a promoter and a polyadenylation signal, wherein the promoter is operably linked to the DNA molecule, and the DNA molecule is operably linked to the polyadenylation signal.

4. The vector of claim 3 , wherein the promoter is the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter.

5. The vector of claim 4 wherein the polyadenylation signal is the polyadenylation signal of the cauliflower mosaic 35S gene.

6. A bacterial cell comprising the vector of claim 3 .

7. The bacterial cell of claim 6 wherein the bacterial cell is selected from the group consisting of an Agrobacterium tumefaciens and an Agrobacterium rhizogenes cell.

8. A transformed plant cell transformed with the vector of claim 3 .

9. The transformed plant cell of claim 8 wherein the promoter is cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and the polyadenylation signal is the polyadenylation signal of the cauliflower mosaic 35S gene.

10. A plant selected from the family Cucurbitaceae comprising a plurality of the transformed cells of claim 8 .

11. A plant selected from the family Solanaceae comprising a plurality of the transformed cells of claim 8 .

12. A method of preparing a cucumber mosaic viral resistant plant comprising:

transforming plant cells with a chimeric expression cassette comprising a promoter functional in plant cells operably inked to a DNA molecule that encodes a coat protein; wherein the DNA molecule is from cucumber mosaic virus strain V34; regenerating the plant cells to provide a differentiated plant; and

identifying a transformed plant that expresses the cucumber mosaic virus coat protein at a level sufficient to render the plant resistant to infection by cucumber mosaic virus strain V34.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the plant is a dicot.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the dicot is selected from the family Cucurbitaceae.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the dicot is selected from the family Solanaceae.

16. A vector comprising a chimeric expression cassette comprising the DNA molecule of claim 1 and at least one chimeric expression cassette comprising a heterologous CMV coat protein gene which is not the coat protein gene of the V34 strain of CMV, a papaya ringspot virus coat protein gene, a zucchini yellow mosaic virus coat protein gene, or a watermelon mosaic virus II coat protein gene, wherein each expression cassette comprises a promoter and a polyadenylation signal, wherein the promoter is operably linked to the DNA molecule or coat protein gene, and the DNA molecule or coat protein gene is operably linked to the polyadenylations signal.

17. A bacterial cell comprising the vector of claim 16 .

18. A plant cell transformed with the vector of claim 16 .

19. The plant cell of claim 18 wherein the promoter is cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and the polyadenylation signal is the polyadenylation signal of the cauliflower mosaic 35S gene.

20. A plant selected from the family Cucurbitaceae comprising a plurality of the transformed cells of claim 18 .

21. A plant selected from the family Solanaceae comprising a plurality of the transformed cells of claim 18 .