Virus Diseases of Sweet Potato and Their Control

Sweet potatoes were introduced into Israel around 1920 and grown at the Agricultural High School at Miqwe Yisrael. In the early 1950s the crop was grown to serve as raw material for starch and flour processing purposes. At first yields were very high (>60 t ha super(-1)), but after about 5-6 year...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytoparasitica 2008-01, Vol.36 (2), p.124-124
Main Authors: Cohen, J, Gal-On, A, Loebenstein, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aphididae
Bemisia tabaci
Crinivirus
Cucumber mosaic virus
Cytomegalovirus
Potyvirus
Solanum tuberosum
sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus
Sweet potato feathery mottle virus
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Summary:Sweet potatoes were introduced into Israel around 1920 and grown at the Agricultural High School at Miqwe Yisrael. In the early 1950s the crop was grown to serve as raw material for starch and flour processing purposes. At first yields were very high (>60 t ha super(-1)), but after about 5-6 years they declined because of virus diseases, due to farmers using cuttings from their old fields for the next year's planting. Renewed research in the 1980s led to the identification of the main viruses, preparation of virus-tested planting material from meristem cultures, and commercial nurseries starting to grow the virus-tested mother plants cuttings for growers. Since then sweet potato acreage has increased every year by 8-10% and become a profitable crop for farmers, mainly for export. The main viruses identified in Israel are Sweet potato feathery mottle virus, genus Potyvirus (SPFMV), transmitted in a nonpersistent manner by aphids. Sweet potato sunken vein virus, genus Crinivirus (SPSVV). Possible synonym: Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in a semi-persistent manner. The complex infection SPFMV+SPSW causes a severe reduction in yields. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) severely infected sweet potato fields in the mid-1980s, causing stunting, chlorosis and yellowing of plants. Infection by CMV was dependent on the presence of SPSVV in the sweet potato plant. Apparently, there is a gene-silencing mechanism that inhibits CMV replication in healthy sweet potato, which is suppressed by SPSVV. Interestingly, in East Africa where SPFMV and SPCSV are endemic, no co-infection with CNV was observed. Comparing nucleic acid and protein sequences of the RNA 3 of the two isolates (SPCS V Uganda and SPSVV Israel) revealed a difference of similar to 17% and 20% in the nucleic and amino acid sequences, respectively. Apparently, the suppressor gene in SPCSV is not functional. Another virus found first in Israel is Ipomeoa crinkle leaf curl virus (ICLCV). Geminate particles were observed in crude sap preparations and the virus was transmitted by B. tabaci in a persistent manner. At present the best way to control virus diseases in sweet potato is to supply the growers with virus-indexed propagation material.
ISSN:0334-2123