Maniok-assoziierte Begomoviren in Indien - Biodiversität, Gewebelokalisation und Funktionsanalyse

Begomoviruses (Geminiviridae) are serious plant pathogens infecting dicotyledonous plants among important crop plants. The majority of the members comprises bipartite genomes (DNA A and B), encapsidated in twin particles and transmitted by the whitefly-vector Bemisia tabaci. Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) production is restricted by begomovirus inducing Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) in Africa. Two different cassava-associated begomoviruses were isolated from India and Sri Lanka, but none of these clones induced the typical symptoms in cassava. We report on the complete nucleotide sequence of a new strain of Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) from South India. The cloned viral DNA induces CMD into cassava, fulfilling Koch ́s postulates and confirm, that begomoviruses are the aetiology of CMD in India.