Occurence of Viruses in Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly (Paraleyroides bondari perracchi) Colonizing Cassava in Wakiso District, Uganda
Abstract
Cassava (Manihot esculenta), one of the most important crops globally, is constrained by a myriad of factors including whiteflies, and the virus diseases (CMD and CBSD), vectored by B. tabaci. Recently, a new whitefly species, Paraleyroides bondari Peracchi (Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly, (BNW)), was identified colonizing cassava in Central Uganda. This study was conducted to contribute towards managing whitefly spread cassava viruses through understanding of the vectoring ability of P. bondari on cassava in central Uganda. Adult whiteflies of P. bondari were collected by spiraling from CMD and CBSD infected cassava plants, including leaf samples (samples collected from cassava aged, 3-8 months). All samples collected were taken to the Uganda Biosciences Information Centre (UBIC), NaCRRI, for virus analysis. The analysis of viruses was done using a modified CTAB (Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide) method, and conventional PCR, with specific primers. The laboratory results showed no amplification of viruses causing CMD and CBSD in Uganda, in the whitefly, P. bondari. Existing cassava viruses in Uganda were not detected in P. bondari, thus this could indicate its inability to acquire and transmit them. Although these viruses were not detected in P. bondari, there is still need to confirm this inability through formal transmission studies.