Geminivirus Impact on Plant Health and Disease Management

Geminiviruses are a family of single-stranded DNA viruses that pose a major threat to crop production in tropical and subtropical regions. Transmitted primarily by sap-sucking insects such as whiteflies and leafhoppers, these viruses infect a broad range of monocot and dicot hosts, causing symptoms that include leaf curling, chlorosis, stunting and yield loss. Beyond direct crop damage, geminiviruses often associate with DNA satellites that exacerbate disease severity by suppressing host defences and altering gene expression. The threat is compounded by rapid viral evolution through recombination and mutation, enabling adaptation to new hosts and expansion into previously unaffected regions. Effective management strategies combine resistant cultivars, vector control and cultural practices, yet the persistent rise of novel strains demands continual innovation. Recent advances in understanding viral life cycles, host–virus interactions and predictive modelling are informing integrated disease management frameworks, with the ultimate aim of safeguarding global food security and reducing economic losses.

Research from Nature Portfolio

One foundational study revealed that a major tomato-infecting geminivirus can be transmitted through seed, overturning the conventional view that transmission is exclusively insect-mediated. Researchers showed that progeny plants germinating from infected seed carry viral DNA at high rates and can serve as inoculum sources for whiteflies and subsequent plant infections. This finding highlights an overlooked route of virus persistence and spread, emphasising the need to incorporate seed health diagnostics and certification into phytosanitary measures.

Geminivirus Impact on Plant Health and Disease Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in geminivirus impact on plant health and disease management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Begomovirus: A genus of plant-infecting geminiviruses transmitted by whiteflies, responsible for many leaf curl and yellowing diseases.

Betasatellite: A small circular DNA molecule that associates with certain geminiviruses, enhancing symptom severity and circumventing host defences.

Seed transmissibility: The capability of a pathogen to be transmitted via infected seed into the next plant generation.

Whitefly vector: Bemisia and related species of sap-sucking insects that acquire and spread geminiviruses between plants.

Machine learning predictive model: A computational approach that trains on data to identify patterns and predict disease outcomes, aiding in early warning and management decisions.

References

1. An Effective Integrated Machine Learning Framework for Identifying Severity of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus and Their Experimental Validation. Research (2023).
2. Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) prediction modeling in upland cotton under different ecological conditions using machine learning tools. Ecological Informatics (2024).
3. ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Geminiviridae 2021. Journal of General Virology (2021).
4. Suppression of Methylation-Mediated Transcriptional Gene Silencing by βC1-SAHH Protein Interaction during Geminivirus-Betasatellite Infection. PLOS Pathogens (2011).
5. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV-IL): a seed-transmissible geminivirus in tomatoes. Scientific Reports (2016).
6. A review of geminivirus diseases in vegetables and other crops in Brazil: current status and approaches for management. Horticultura Brasileira (2016).