Summary Tobacco streak virus (TSV) recently caused an epidemic in peanut (= groundnut, Arachis hypogaea) crops in Andhra Pradesh, India. In the epidemic area TSV occurred in many widely distributed weeds of which Parthenium hysterophorus probably plays a major role in its spread by thrips. Three thrips species, Megalurothrips usitatus, Frankliniella schultzei and Scirtothrips dorsalis were vectors in the presence of infected pollen. Of crop species, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) and Tagetes patula (marigold) could act as sources of inoculum. In limited tests, the virus was not seed‐transmitted in the peanut cultivar JL‐24 or in the sunflower hybrids KBSH‐41, ‐42, ‐44, and ‐50, MSFH‐17 and ZSH‐976. Strategies adopted to reduce the incidence of TSV are discussed.

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Genetic engineering of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) using the gene encoding for the nucleocapsid protein (N gene) of peanut bud necrosis virus (PBNV; genus Tospovirus, family Bunyaviridae) was used to impart resistance to bud necrosis disease in peanut (PBND), a disease for which no durable resistance is available in the existing germplasm. Over 200 transgenic lines of peanut var. JL 24 were developed for which integration and expression of the transgenes was confirmed by PCR, Southern hybridization, RT-PCR and western blot analysis. The T(1) and T(2) generation transgenic plants were assayed through virus challenge in the greenhouse by using mechanical sap inoculation at 1:100 and 1:50 dilutions of PBNV, and they showed varying levels of disease incidence and intensity. Greenhouse and field evaluation with T(2) generation plants indicated somewhat superior performance of the three transgenic events that showed considerable reduction in disease incidence. However, only one of these events showed over 75 % reduction in disease incidence when compared to the untransformed control, indicating partial and non-durable resistance to PBND using the viral N-gene.