Publication

Abstract : Tobacco streak virus (TSV) was identified in 1930 and has spread to 26 countries across the globe. TSV has a wide host range, infecting over 200 plant species from 30 dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plant families. In India, it was first reported in sunflower causing necrosis disease during 1999- 2000 in Andhra Pradesh. Since then, the virus has been responsible for causing serious damage to many crops, including cotton. The infection has been increasing and worsened by the availability of other alternate host crops like groundnut, okra, etc., and higher levels of thrip attacks in cotton, which acts as a vector. The direct long-term approach to control the disease is to breed a resistant cultivar through different breeding approaches. Few TSV-tolerant cotton hybrids have been reported in various surveys. Recently developed transgenic thysanopteran active Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry51Aa2.834_16 toxin expressed MON 88702 cotton will play a crucial role in control of thrip populations, thereby controlling the viral spread. Genes like GhMLP423, if overexpressed through CRISPR/Cas system, will provide enhanced resistance to insect pests for further control of viruses. Future efforts to identify novel host resistance mechanisms, employ DNA markers to swiftly introduce resistance into transgenic-overlaid adapted cultivars as identified in tomato and sunflower, Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING) for haphazardly causing mutations, RNAi-engineered resistance and modify the genome using the CRISPR/Cas system will be crucial in enhancing the disease's defense mechanisms and ensuring the continued production of cotton fiber.