Whiteflies are Not Responsible for Transmission of Chickpea Chlorotic Dwarf Virus and Mastrebegomo Chimeric Virus

Gemini virus coat protein (CP) is an important element of vector specificity and mandatory for insect transmission as well regardless of the type of gemini virus. This study was planned to conduct virus acquisition and transmission experiments using screen cages in an insectary for the period of one month. For this purpose non-viruliferous whiteflies (B cryptic species) were reared and used to acquire the viruses for 48-72 h from the agroinfiltered symptomatic tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana Domin.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants and these were liberated to healthy plants for transmission of viruses. It was evident from the results that the whiteflies were incapable to acquire and transmit chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV)-a mastrevirus and mastrebegomo chimeric virus (MCV) from the symptomatic tobacco and tomato plants to healthy plants. Whiteflies also failed to acquire and transmit the cotton leaf curl Kokhran virus-Burewala strain (CLCuKoV-Bu)- a begomovirus from infected to healthy tobacco plants due to the inability of whiteflies to feed on Nicotiana benthamiana Domin. leaves. Although whitefly successfully acquired and transmitted the CLCuKoV-Bu from symptomatic tomato leaves to healthy one whose presence later confirmed by DNA extraction from whiteflies and symptomatic plants followed by PCR amplification of CP gene and full length genome of viruses for authentication of results. So, it has been confirmed that whiteflies were not responsible for transmission of CpCDV and MCV from diseased to healthy plants. Keywords: Whiteflies, Geminivirus coat protein, Mastrevirus, Begomovirus, Mastrebegomo chimeric virus