Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV), a polerovirus, is a persistent threat to cotton production in the United States. We will conduct research to understand how CLRDV is transmitted by insect vectors using molecular-based appraoches. This information will be useful for developing targeted disease management strategies. Recently, we characterized a new DNA virus from CLRDV-infected plants, cotton virus A (CotV-A, genus Caulimovirus). Sequences from this virus are also inserted into the cotton genome, referred to asendogenous virus elements. We will conduct experiments to ascertain how CotV-A may be transmitted in upland cotton. Lastly, we will use a technology called high throughput sequencing (HTS) to characterize CLRDV and CotV-A interactions in upland cotton and weed reservoirs. The impact of CotV-A on cotton production is unknown, and management strategies are nonexistent. This research is vital for the cotton industry, as we do not yet have the tools to evaluate the impacts of CotV-A on yield potential or on plants that are carrying a high viral load. Our research is critical for the industry because a new and serious pathology has increased its incidence in numerous upland cotton-producing states and the cause is unknown. Our HTS survey will inform the industry about this emerging issue and determine whether it involves CLRDV, CotV-A or additional viral agents.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
10%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
n 2022, cotton, Gossypium spp. (Family: Malvaceae), was one of the top 10 plant commodities in the United States (US) corresponding to 13.7 million acres of production and valued at approximately $6.45 billion. Cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) is a phloem-limited polerovirus that represents a persistent threat to cotton production in the US. Since its discovery in Alabama in 2017, CLRDV subsequently spread to almost all cotton-producing states in the US. CLRDV is transmitted by the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, and is the causative agent of cotton blue disease (CBD) in South America, Africa and Asia, and cotton leafroll dwarf disease (CLRDD) in the US.In this project, we will pursue the following three objectives:Objective 1. Identify and characterize the aphid proteins involved in CLRDV transmission.Objective 2. Determine biological factors regulating transmission of a newly discoveredcotton virus, CotV-A, which also has integrated sequences in the cotton genome.Objective 3. Characterize population dynamics of CLRDV, CotV-A and potential new viruses in upland cotton and weed reservoirs.These research objectives will provide a holistic understanding of CRLDV, its cotton aphid vector, interactions with CotV-A and possible interactions with other viruses found in upland cotton production fields in the US cotton belt. The objectives will be pursued in parallel and while synergistic, the success of one does not rely on the other.
Project Methods
Methods to be used in this project draw from the fields ofmolecular biology, mass spectrometry-based proteomics, vector biology, and high throughput sequencing.