CHICKPEA CHLOROTIC DWARF VIRUS, A NEW LEAFHOPPER-TRANSMITTED GEMINIVIRUS OF CHICKPEA IN INDIA

A disease of chickpea in India, characterised by chlorosis, severe stu nting and phloem browning, was shown to be caused by a geminivirus. Th is virus was transmitted by the leafhopper Orosius orientalis from chi ckpea to chickpea and several other plant species. A method for purifi cation of this virus was devised and a polyclonal antiserum produced. The majority of the purified particles were geminate. The size of the coat protein was shown to be 32 kD and the nucleic acid was shown to b e circular ssDNA of 2900 nucleotides. By immunosorbent electron micros copy this virus was shown to be unrelated to the leafhopper-transmitte d geminiviruses known to infect dicotyledons such as beet curly top, b ean summer death and tobacco yellow dwarf viruses. On the basis of par ticle morphology, leafhopper transmission, host range and serology thi s virus was considered to be a new, hitherto undescribed, geminivirus and was named chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus.