Enation leaf curl virus (ELCV): A real threat in major okra production belts of India: A review

Abstract

Production of okra is threatened by viral diseases. Okra enation leaf curl disease is an emerging serious disease in India. The disease was first reported from Karnataka in the early 1980s. Infection at early stages of crop growth may cause severe yield loss in okra. The disease is transmitted by insect vector, whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). Hot weather with little or no rainfall is conducive for virus disease development. Recently, associations of betasatellites and alphasatellites causing enation leaf curling disease in okra have been reported from India. There is no stable source of resistance to this disease in cultivated species. However, some wild species (Abelmoschus crinitus, A. ficulneus, A. angulosus and A. manihot) of okra have stable and reliable sources of resistance to ELCV. No attempts have been made in the past to study the genetics of resistance to ELCV disease in India. Moreover, the basis of resistance against this disease has not so far been studied in detail. In this background, this review deals with the advancements in ELCV disease, and special emphasis has been laid on the genetic and biochemical basis of this disease resistance for the development of resistant varieties.