Peanut yellow spot virus

The causal agent of this disease is Orthotospovirus arachiflavamaculae, a virus belonging to the Tospoviridae family. It is a serious threat to peanut cultivation, as it causes systemic infections that severely affect the plant's health and final yield quality.

The primary host for this pathogen is the cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea). However, the virus also infects several weed species and alternative crop plants, which act as critical reservoirs for the virus during periods when the main crop is absent.

Typical symptoms include chlorotic spots, yellow rings, and mosaic patterns on the leaves. Infected plants often exhibit stunted growth, leaf deformation, and poor pod development, leading to significant reductions in both the quantity and the nutritional value of the harvested crop.

The virus is primarily transmitted by thrips, which act as vectors. Once a thrips acquires the virus by feeding on infected plants, it can transmit the pathogen to healthy plants throughout its lifespan. This transmission mechanism allows the disease to spread rapidly across fields.

Effective management and prevention of this virus focus on disrupting its transmission cycle and minimizing the vector population:

• Implementing intensive pest management programs to control thrips populations.
• Utilizing resistant or tolerant peanut varieties to minimize infection risk.
• Eliminating weed reservoirs in and around the fields to reduce primary inoculum.
• Applying reflective mulches to deter thrips from landing on plants.
• Practicing strict crop rotation and field sanitation to break the disease cycle.