Molecular Characterization of a Novel Monopartite Begomovirus Infecting Weeds and Important Crops in Yunnan, China

Molecular evidence of two begomoviruses and a novel DNA-B infecting Duranta erecta variegata in Pakistan.

This is the first report of RoLCuV, a novel DNA-B, PaLCrV, and HYVA infecting D. erecta variegata in Pakistan, and the presence of rose leaf curl virus accompanied by a novel recombinant DNA-B, tentatively named "rose leaf curl virus DNA-B."

IDENTIFICATION OF PEDILANTHUS LEAF CURL VIRUS AND A NOVEL BETASATELLITE-INFECTING RADISH (RAPHANUS SATIVUS L.) IN PAKISTAN

The natural occurrence of Pedilanthus leaf curl virus and a novel Radish leaf curl Layyah betasatellite infecting radish in Pakistan are documents and underscore the occurrence of begomovirus with new betasatellite complexes in the region and highlight the need for continuous surveillance strategies to safeguard radish cultivation.

Genomic insights and pathogenic potential of begomovirus infecting bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) in Tamil nadu, India

Quantitative PCR showed viral accumulation of 105–10⁹ copies/μL, confirming the synergistic role of DNA-B and betasatellites in severe symptom induction and systemic infection, underscoring the complexity of begomovirus pathogenesis.

Genetic variability of blainvillea yellow spot virus (Begomovirus blainvilleae) reveals recombinant variants and a distinct nonanucleotide motif

Viruses from wild plants may emerge as new economically important agricultural pathogens through spillover events. Blainvillea yellow spot virus (Begomovirus blainvilleae, BlYSV) is a bipartite geminivirus which is ubiquitous in the non-cultivated plant Blainvillea rhomboidea. To better understand the ecological and evolutionary aspects of this virus, we sampled B. rhomboidea in three Brazilian states between 2020 and 2023. Following rolling-circle amplification, cloning and Sanger sequencing, a dataset was assembled with 23 complete DNA-A sequences plus an additional set of 30 BlYSV sequences retrieved from GenBank. Four variants (named A to D) were identified based on sequence comparisons, one of which (variant A) was classified as a different strain. A recombination event in variant B isolates, followed by positive selection in their AC4 gene, may have increased the fitness of these isolates, which replaced variant C isolates in Viçosa and Coimbra between 2014 and 2022. Four sequences in variant A exhibited a nucleotide substitution (A2667G) within the geminivirus conserved nonanucleotide motif (from TAATATTAC to TAATGTTAC). Our results confirm the high genetic variability of this virus which was hinted at in previous studies. Future studies will be directed at understanding the impact of the observed mutations in viral fitness, and whether this could facilitate spillover of BlYSV to other hosts, including cultivated plants.

First report of tomato spotted wilt virus (Orthotospovirus tomatomaculae) and phytoplasma in China aster and development of duplex PCR, LAMP, and qPCR assays for rapid detection

Prevalence, Species Diversity, and Molecular Characterization of Viruses Infecting Phlox (Phlox paniculata) from Botanical Gardens in Russia

Phlox (Phlox spp., Polemoniaceae) are herbaceous ornamental plants that are cultivated around the world for their fascinating flowering. P. paniculata cultivar collections at the Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden and the Botanical Garden of Lomonosov Moscow State University (both in Moscow, Russia) were surveyed for virus diseases using high-throughput sequencing and RT-PCR. Twenty-seven plants with virus-like symptoms on the leaves were selected for analysis. Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), ArMV satellite RNA (satRNA), beet ringspot nepovirus (BRSV), BRSV satRNA, cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Spiranthes mosaic virus 3 (SpiMV3), tobacco streak virus (TSV), and tobacco rattle virus (TRV) were identified. AMV and TSV were the most common viruses found in 22 and 25 out of the 27 samples tested, respectively. ArMV satRNA was detected in phlox for the first time, adding to the list of viruses infecting this crop. The nearly complete genomes of the detected viruses and satRNAs were assembled and characterized. The CMV and TRV genome sequences from phlox were first deposited in GenBank. Only RNA1 was detected in the TRV-infected ‘Fligelleutenant Bolke’ cultivar plant, suggesting that the so-called non-multiplying infection has been found for the first time in a plant species other than solanaceae.