Potato Virus A Isolates from Three Continents: Their Biological Properties, Phylogenetics, and Prehistory

Forty-seven potato virus A (PVA) isolates from Europe, Australia, and South America’s Andean region were subjected to high-throughput sequencing, 46 complete genomes Europe (n = 9), Australia 2), the Andes 35) obtained. These 17 other gave alignments of 63 open reading frames 9,180 nucleotides long; 9 recombinants. The nonrecombinants formed three tightly clustered, almost equidistant phylogroups; comprised 14 Peruvian isolates; W 37 in Peru, Argentina, elsewhere world; T contained tamarillo New Zealand. When five inoculated a cultivar differential, strain groups (= pathotypes) unrelated phylogenetic groupings recognized. No temporal signal was detected among dated nonrecombinant sequences, but PVA Y (PVY) are related lineages ecologically similar; therefore, “relative dating” obtained using single maximum-likelihood phylogeny PVY sequences PVY’s well-supported 157 CE “time most common recent ancestor”. datings supported by several independent historical coincidences. populations apparently arose approximately 18 centuries ago, taken during Columbian Exchange, radiating there after mid-19th century late blight pandemic. PVA’s phylogroup population diverged more recently region, probably new cultivars bred locally newly introduced Solanum tuberosum subsp. as parent. Such became widely grown, generated × Phylogroup A, its interphylogroup recombinants, might pose biosecurity risk. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 Author(s). This is an access article distributed under CC BY 4.0 International license .