1Indian Agricultural Research Institute Regional Station, Kalimpong-734301.
2Regional Agricultural Research Station, Assam Agricultural University, Assam.
Abstracts of Research Papers Presented during the National Symposium of Indian Virological Society at Unit of Plant Virology, Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, October 14–1.
Jute (Corchorus capsularis and Corchorus olitorius) is the only important commercial kharif crop grown in the Central & Lower Brahmaputra Valley Zones of Assam. Assam ranks third both in terms of production and acreage under cultivation of jute in India. Since 1996, a yellow mosaic disease of jute (C. capsularis) has been observed in the Barak Valley Zone (BVZ) of Assam wheein jute is grown in limited area mostly to meet the household requirements. Average disease incidence was 15.7%. The disease manifests itself as pale yellow mottling of laminae of the young leaves which later turns into typical yellow mosaic with yellow irregular areas interspersed with normal green patches. No distortion of leaf lamina was observed. Plants infected early in the season showed slight reduction in plant height. The disease was not seed-transmitted. It could be transmitted to both C. capsularis and C. olitorius using viruliferous Bemisia tabaci Gen. adults. The incubation period inteh host ranged from 18 to 24 days. The disease could not be transmitted to Phaseolus vulgaris using viruliferous B. tabaci. Apart from B. tabaci - vectored jute yellow mosaic, Dolichos yellow mosaic and okra yellow vein mosaic diseases, yellow vein mosaic of Croton bonplandianum, Ageratum conyzoides and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis have also been observed in the BVZ.
