Quick field tests can now catch hidden viruses in mango trees
Prajapati MR, Bhardwaj P, Gehlot J, Singhal P, Singh D
Crop Improvement
Mango trees spread viruses invisibly through grafting, meaning a single infected rootstock or scion can quietly seed disease across an entire orchard before anyone notices a sick leaf.
Two viruses commonly infect mango trees without causing obvious symptoms, making them nearly impossible to spot by eye. Scientists built simple diagnostic tests that can identify these viruses in under half an hour using basic equipment, without needing a full laboratory. Growers can now screen cuttings and rootstocks before planting, stopping the spread of disease before it takes hold.
Key Findings
The RT-RPA assay for MiLV detected viral RNA at concentrations as low as 0.01 fg/µl and worked directly on crude leaf extract with no RNA purification step.
Both assays ran at a constant 40°C in 25 minutes, making them suitable for field use without specialized thermocycling equipment.
Field validation across symptomatic and asymptomatic samples showed complete agreement with conventional RT-PCR (Cohen's K = 1.00), and viruses were found in young grafted plants, confirming vegetative propagation as a key spread pathway.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers developed fast, low-cost field tests to detect two viruses that silently infect mango trees worldwide. The new tests work in 25 minutes at a stable temperature, require no lab equipment, and can flag infected planting material before it spreads disease to new orchards.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Development of RT-RPA assays for rapid detection of mango-infecting viruses using high-throughput sequencing-derived genomic information.
Plant viral diseases pose a major threat to perennial fruit crops, where infections often remain latent and persist over long periods, facilitating unnoticed spread through planting material. Recen...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Targeted knockout of a host peroxisomal peptidase confers field resistance to...
The corn in your grocery store and the staple food keeping millions of East African families fed is under serious threat from a viral disease that can wipe o...
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree Mangifera indica. It originated in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in what is now Bangladesh, northeastern India and Myanmar. M. indica has been cultivated in South and Southeast Asia since ancient times, resulting i...