Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV; Babuvirus), Banana streak virus (BSV; Badnavirus), Banana bract mosaic virus (BBrMV; Potyvirus), Banana mild mosaic virus (BanMMV, an unassigned member of the family Flexiviridae), Banana virus X (BVX, a new unassigned species in the family Flexiviridae), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV; Cucumovirus), Abaca mosaic virus (AbaMV; Potyvirus) Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV; Tobamovirus) Banana die-back virus (BDBV, a probable species in Nepovirus) and a bacilliform shaped rhabdo-like virus have been reported to naturally infect banana and plantain (Musa spp.) cultivated in the tropical and subtropical parts of the world. BBTV and BSV are economically very important, whereas BBrMV, BanMMV and CMV can cause significant damage when they occur in mixed infections. All the viruses infecting Musa spp. are transmitted vertically through vegetative propagules and BSV has the ability to integrate into the host genome. Among the viruses BBTV (circulative), BBrMV (non-persistent), AbaMV (non-persistent) and CMV (non-persistent) are vectored by aphid species (Pentalonia nigronervosa, Rhopalosiphum maides, Aphis gossypii, A. craccivora, Myzus persicae), while the BSV is transmitted by mealy bugs (Planococcus citri). The distribution and incidence, economic impact, etiology and management of vector-borne viruses infecting banana and plantain in semiarid tropics will be discussed.
