Biochemical and molecular analysis of diverse weed species associated with yellow mosaic virus in Chhattisgarh

Abstract

Yellow Mosaic Disease (YMD) is a globally prevalent and highly destructive viral disease that severely affects pulse and vegetable crops. It poses a major threat to both agricultural and horticultural productivity, and to date, no fully resistant crop varieties have been developed. Perennial weed species, serve as primary reservoirs of the virus due to their persistent growth habits become a prominent source of yellow mosaic virus (YMV), primarily transmitted by the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), is a key vector of YMD. The disease is characterized by yellow mosaic symptoms on leaves, often progressing to systemic infection and resulting in significant yield loss or total crop failure. YMV has been reported to infect at least eight different weed species, demonstrating a broad host range and high transmission potential. In recent years, its rapid spread has been documented across agricultural regions of India, especially in Chhattisgarh, where its presence has been confirmed through chlorophyll estimation and PCR-based molecular detection. Our findings indicate that these weeds harbour multiple isolates of YMV, highlighting their critical role in virus persistence and spread within cropping systems. Conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has proven to be a simple, sensitive, specific, and time-efficient method for the detection of YMV. Furthermore, variations observed among PCR-based detection results suggest that these viral strains can readily infect economically important crops, underscoring the urgent need for effective surveillance and management strategies.