Persistent, and Asymptomatic Viral Infections and Whitefly-Transmitted Viruses Impacting Cantaloupe and Watermelon in Georgia, USA.

ABSTRACT: Cucurbits in Southeastern USA have experienced a drastic decline in production over the years due to the effect of economically important viruses, mainly those transmitted by the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius). In cucurbits, these viruses can be found as a single or mixed infection, thereby causing significant yield loss. During the spring of 2021, surveys were conducted to evaluate the incidence and distribution of viruses infecting cantaloupe (n = 80) and watermelon (n = 245) in Georgia. Symptomatic foliar tissues were collected from six counties and sRNA libraries were constructed from seven symptomatic samples. High throughput sequencing (HTS) analysis revealed the presence of three different new RNA viruses in Georgia: cucumis melo endornavirus (

SUBMITTER: Adeleke IA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9227350 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature