A Review on Viruses Infecting Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott)

Abstract

Taro is an important crop in parts of the world, especially in the Pacific Islands. Like all plants, it is also susceptible to virus infections that could result in diseases, which negatively affects the source of food and trade revenue. Understanding the biology of taro viruses could improve current knowledge regarding the relationship between viruses and taro, thus allowing for a better approach towards the management of the diseases that are associated with them. By compiling and discussing the research on taro and its four major viruses (Dasheen mosaic virus, Taro bacilliform virus, Colocasia bobone disease virus, and Taro vein chlorosis virus) and a relatively new one (Taro bacilliform CH virus), this paper explores the details of each virus by examining their characteristics and highlighting information that could be used to mitigate taro infections and disease management.

Decoding the biological information contained in two ancient Slavonic parchment codices: an added historical value

“…Specifically, the two samples obtained from the Liturgiarium Sinaiticum showed a relative high abundance of the positive‐sense, single‐stranded RNA Dasheen mosaic virus (DsMV) (Supporting Information Fig. S6), which belongs to the genus Potyvirus (phytopathogenic viruses) and naturally infects the plant Taro ( Colocasia esculenta ) (Yusop et al ., 2019). The detection of the DsMV in this Codex gives rise to some intriguing hypotheses.…”

Construction of Infectious Clones of Begomoviruses: Strategies, Techniques and Applications

“…As an alternative form of transforming Agrobacterium tumefaciens with foreign DNA, a freeze/thaw technique is considered a fast and straightforward method [37,38]. Based on this technique, the uptake of foreign DNA relies on the damage of the cell wall caused by the exposure to the rapid changes of temperature that alter the membrane fluidity of the bacterial cells [39]. This freeze/thaw technique is widely used as it does not require specialized equipment [33].…”

Taro Planthopper Tarophagus colocasiae (Matsumura) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Delphacidae: Delphacinae)

“…If Tarophagus colocasiae does infest and damage caladiums, it could be quite problematic for Florida nursery owners, who grow more than 95% of the caladium tubers used in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia (Deng 2012). Tarophagus planthoppers have also been implicated in the spread of Colocasia bobone disease virus, although that disease has only been reported at present from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (Yusop et al 2019). Visible bobone disease symptoms on taro include stunting, thickened leaves, irregularly shaped galls on petioles, and necrosis, although infected plants generally recover (Revill et al 2015).…”