Geminivirus, which causes yellow leaf curl disease of wax gourd plants, was detected using polymerase chain reaction with geminivirus-specific primers. The complete genomic sequence of a geminivirus isolated from wax gourd was determined by sequencing overlapping DNA fragments. The genome consisted of 2739 nucleotides, contained 5 open reading frames (ORFs) typical of geminiviruses, 2 ORFs on t...

In the present climate change scenario, controlling plant disease through exploitation of host plant resistance could contribute toward the sustainable crop production and global food security. In this respect, the identification of new sources of resistance and utilization of genetic diversity within the species may help in the generation of cultivars with improved disease resistance. Begomovi...

Numerous plant RNA viruses have associated with them satellite (sat) RNAs that have little or no nucleotide sequence similarity to either the viral or host genomes but are completely dependent on the helper virus for replication. We report here on the discovery of a 682-nt circular DNA satellite associated with tomato leaf curl geminivirus (TLCV) infection in northern Australia. This is the fir...

Bemisia tabaci, the whitefly vector of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), seriously reduces tomato production and quality. Here, we report the first evidence that infection by TYLCV alters the host preferences of invasive B. tabaci B (Middle East-Minor Asia 1) and Q (Mediterranean genetic group), in which TYLCV-free B. tabaci Q preferred to settle on TYLCV-infected tomato plants over health...

The base map of domains was drawn using NCBI Conserved Domains searches (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Structure/cdd/wrpsb.cgi). Rep_2, Plasmid replication protein (pfam01719), Viral_Rep, Putative viral replication protein (pfam02407); Gemini_AL1, Geminivirus Rep catalytic domain (pfam00799); Gemini_AL1_M, Geminivirus rep protein central domain (pfam08283); RNA_helicase, RNA helicase (pfam00910)....

The majority of plant viruses are transmitted by insect vectors between hosts, and transovarial transmission of viruses from vector parents to offspring has great significance to their epidemiology. Begomoviruses are transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in a circulative manner and are maintained through a plant-insect-plant cycle. Other routes of begomovirus transmission are not clearly k...

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is the major biotic constraint to cotton production on the Indian subcontinent, and is caused by monopartite begomoviruses accompanied by a specific DNA satellite, Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB). Since the breakdown of resistance against CLCuD in 2001/2002, only one virus, the "Burewala" strain of Cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus (CLCuKoV-Bur), and...