Host Range of New Begomovirus Causing Leaf Curl Disease in Zinnia from Southern India

Abstract

A begomovirus was recently shown to be causing Zinnia leaf curl virus disease on Zinnia during 2009-10 in around Bengaluru gardens of Kamataka state (India). Diseased plants showed a typical begomovirus-like symptoms characterized by vein thickening, curling and reduction in leaf size. The disease is caused by Zinnia Leaf Curl Virus (ZLCV), which was transmitted by the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci to different crop plants and weeds, these includes Nicotiana tabacum, Lycopersicon esculentum, Parthenium hysterophorus, Ageratum conyzoides, almost all of which developed leaf curl with or without vein thickening. A single viruleiferous whitefly was able to cause 10 per cent infection but 100 per cent infection was obtained when 10 whiteflies per plant were used for host range studies. The causal virus of these symptoms was identified as ZLCV, Gemini virus.