Cassava-torrado-like virus (CsTLV) is a bipartite single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Secoviridae. The virus has been reported in Brazil and Colombia, and is usually found in mixed infections, and in plants affected by Cassava Frogskin Disease (CFSD), an endemic cassava disease in the Americas. Genome analysis of CsTLV identifies a gene in RNA2 implicated in pathogen movement in other torradoviruses. This gene (RNA2-ORF1) and another one no related to virus movement (Maf/Ham1) were amplified by PCR and cloned into constructs under the 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), which then were transfered to agrobacterium binary vectors. When agro-infiltrated in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, only RNA2-ORF1 had a positive effect on the mechanical inoculation of cassava virus X (CsVX), a potexvirus that has a low rate of mechanical infection in N. benthamiana. Efficiency ...

Cassava common mosaic disease (CCMD) can cause root yield losses of approximately 30% (Venturini et al. 2016) in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and it has already been reported in Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Argentina (Calvert et al. 2012; Di Feo et al. 2015). Most of Peru’s cassava production is in the eastern side of the country (the rainforest region) and is mainly used for direct human consumption. Cultivated area in these regions is approximately 48.1 thousand hectares (MINAGRI 2015). CCMD is caused by Cassava common mosaic virus (CsCMV; Calvert et al. 1996), a mechanically transmitted potexvirus that can be disseminated via infected stem cuttings used for cassava propagation. Given the presence of the disease in neighboring countries, a field survey for virus diseases in cassava was organized during June 2016 in the province of Huaral, in the central coast of Peru, where ...

Arracacha is a root crop cultivated in several countries of South America. The commercial product, which is the storage root, has multiple nutritional properties: its fine starch makes it easily digestible, and it contains high levels of calcium and vitamin A. High throughput sequencing (HTS) technology has been applied successfully for virus discovery in different agricultural crops, and it has been proposed to apply it in routine pathogen detection. Using HTS, novel sequences related to crinivirus and vitivirus were identified in apparently symptomeless arracacha, which were assembled into contigs located in different positions of the genome. Based on those sequences’ primers were designed to amplify corresponding sequences from further arracacha accessions and potato plant samples collected from farmers’ fields in Colombia and Peru. It was possible to determine the near complete g...

Blueberry cultivation has recently become a rapidly expanding export industry in Peru. With few to no official records of phytosanitary problems up to date. Nevertheless, as observed in other major blueberry producer countries, pests occurrences have been already reported. This study presents a comprehensive biological and molecular characterization of a novel blueberry pest, identifying it as a member of the Tortricidae family in the genus Platynota. The insect’s average life cycle was determined to be 46.3 days for males and 48.6 days for females, with the larval stage being the longest (25.4 days on average), and the most destructive due to its feeding behavior, which significantly damages buds and fruits. Morphological analysis of the genitalia, along with a comparison of its complete mitochondrial DNA, further supports the conclusion that this pest is a new species. These findings...

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) is the causal agent of Fusarium wilt, a major threat to the banana industry worldwide. Here, we report the genome of a Foc TR4 strain from Peru, sequenced using a combination of Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) is the causal agent of Fusarium wilt, a major threat to the banana industry worldwide. Here, we report the genome of a Foc TR4 strain from Peru, sequenced using a combination of Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies.