Identification of begomovirus-infected mosaic diseases from uncultivated crops of sub-Himalayan plains of East India

The common uncultivated plants, Datura stramonium, Jatropha curcas, Croton bonplandianum, Acalypha indica and Ageratum conyzoides are grown in and around the cultivated fields of sub-Himalayan north-east Indian plains. Chlorosis, leaf curling, distortion, yellowing and stunted growth symptoms are often found in the plants mentioned. Yellow vein mosaic diseases caused by begomoviruses, associated with the above mentioned plants, may act as reservoirs of crop infecting begomoviruses. The core coat protein gene sequences are known to be useful in Begomovirus classification and provisional identification of the begomoviruses. To partially characterize the Begomovirus complexes associated with the weed species from sub-Himalayan north-east India plains, cloning and sequencing and analysis of the core CP genes were taken into consideration. Three begomoviruses infecting C. bonplandianum, A. indica and A. conyzoides were amplified using two universal primer sets (AV494 and AC1048). Sequence analysis study and phylogenetic analysis of the present Begomovirus complexes revealed significant variation among their sequences in spite of their symptom similarities. Interestingly, sequences of the weed infecting viruses exhibited closeness to the sequences of the crop infecting begomoviruses.