Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV): An Insight into Disaster

Abstract

Disaster of cotton leaf curl virus disease (CLCuVD) is the severe restriction to cotton production wherever it appears, and this dilemma is under discussion by scientist since few decades and still no satisfactory control is obtained. Cotton leaf curl Virus (CLCuV) is a begomovirus belongs to family geminiviridae and transmitted by insect-vector Whitefly complex (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius and Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring). In Pakistan, disease was first reported by scientist on stray plants in 1967 near Multan, Punjab. In 1992-93 disease epidemic cause yield decline from 9.05 million bales to 8.04 million bales cause severe losses to cotton production in Pakistan. During 1996-97 resistant cotton verities against CLCuV were introduced but since 2001 new strain Cotton Leaf Curl Burewala Virus (CLCuBuV) cause another epidemic by breaking resistance in all available verities. Excessive use of pesticides to control vector is the serious environmental threat, caused vector resistance, and are carcinogenic and neurotoxic to humans. This review is to cover the history, spread, major losses, Management, Molecular study of relation between host-pathogen and virus resistance strategies to reduce the use of pesticide.