Incidence, Geographical Distribution, and Genetic Diversity of Sugarcane Striate Virus in Saccharum Species in China

Abstract

A novel virus of the genus Mastrevirus, family Geminivirdae, has been reported in sugarcane germplasm collections in Florida, Guadeloupe, and Réunion, and was named sugarcane striate virus (SStrV). Although the full-length sequence of an SStrV isolate from China was obtained in 2015, the incidence, geographical distribution, and genetic diversity of this virus remained unclear. A single leaf sample from 2,368 sugarcane plants from main sugarcane-producing regions of China and germplasm collections were tested for SStrV by PCR. Average virus incidence was 25.1% for field-collected samples, and SStrV was detected in most Saccharum species and two sugarcane-related species, with the highest incidence in Saccharum officinarum (44.1%) followed by Saccharum spp. local varieties (33.3%) grown for chewing cane for a long time. The virus incidence was much lower (6.8%) in modern commercial cultivars (Saccharum spp. hybrids). Phylogenetic trees based on full-length genomes of 157 SStrV isolates revealed that Chinese isolates comprised strains A and B, but not C and D, that were reported in Florida, U.S.A. SStrV strain A was the most prominent (98.7%) and widespread strain in China and was further divided into eight subgroups. Almost half (45.6%) of the SStrV-positive samples from S. officinarum and Saccharum spp. local varieties were coinfected with sugarcane mosaic disease viruses or sugarcane yellow leaf virus. Interestingly, most of the plants infected by strain A of SStrV were asymptomatic. SStrV appears to be widespread in China, and its influence on chewing cane deserves further investigation.