Rice Yellow Mottle Virus

Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Latest News

A recent genomic study revealed the outbreak of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) disease across African rice ecosystems.

About Rice Yellow Mottle Virus

• It emerged in the middle of the 1800s in the Eastern Arc Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot, now part of Tanzania.
• It is a pathogen that infects rice and a few related grass species, and that poses a major threat to rice production in Africa. 
• It is endemic and largely restricted to the African continent, where it has been found in most of the rice-growing countries. 
• This virus is a member of the genus Sobemovirus.
• It has a high genetic variability and thus can evolve rapidly, which means that it can overcome resistance genes in the rice plant.

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Transmission of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus

• The virus is transmitted by several species of beetles, most of which belong to the genus Chrysomelidae. 
• It is also transmitted by grasshoppers, Conocephalus merumontanus and Oxya spp., cows, rats, and donkeys. 
• The virus can also been found on roots of infected plants and can infect plants through injured roots. Although the virus has been detected on seeds, studies show that it is not spread through seed transmission.

Source: DTE