A ProMED-mail post <http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 27 May 2019 08:47 PM BST
Source: Dhaka Tribune [edited]
<https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2019/05/27/virus-plagues-pumpkins-farmers-incur-losses>
Thakurgaon [district] pumpkins have been infected with a viral disease known as mosaic. The virus is at risk of invading other nearby yields [and] has adversely affected cultivation this year. This alarming for the farmers.
A pumpkin farmer said although his yield was significant, it all started to fade in colour, including roots and leaves. [Another] farmer says the seeds they got from distributors this [2019] season might have caused this viral outbreak. Many farmers said they had not experienced such a crop disease before. This has prompted complaints against the guilty pumpkin seed distributors.
This virus outbreak is also adversely affecting honey farmers, as their bees are sitting idle in their hives, instead of collecting honey from pumpkin fields [which] are one of their primary sources for honey. The [honey farmers] are having to purchase sugar to feed the bees.
[An] agriculture officer said they have not received any medicine to combat the mosaic disease. The local DAE [Department of Agricultural Extension] office said an exceptional disease which they had not anticipated attacked pumpkin farms in the region. They will conduct training sessions to tackle this.
[byline: Zakir Mostafiz]
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Communicated by: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[More than 15 viruses are known to infect cucurbits which include crops such as different kinds of melons, cucumber, squash, gourds, and pumpkin. Losses occur through reduction in growth and yield but may also be due to distortion and mottling of fruit which make the produce unmarketable. Molecular methods are needed for virus diagnosis, symptoms are not sufficiently reliable.
Several of the cucurbit viruses may cause mosaic symptoms on leaves and fruit discolouration, as described above. Many of the major cucurbit viruses are transmitted by aphids and a number of them are also seed transmitted. Use of certified clean seed is mandatory for seed transmitted viruses. Disease management of aphid transmitted viruses is extremely difficult and may include vector control, removal of virus and vector reservoir hosts, phytosanitation to reduce inoculum (such as crop debris), use of clean planting material and resistant crop cultivars, if available.
Infected seed is claimed as the source of the outbreak above, but without additional information aphid transmission of a virus from surrounding weed populations after planting of the crop can also not be excluded. Examples of viruses known to occur on cucurbits in the region include _Cucumber mosaic virus_, _Zucchini yellow mosaic virus_, and _Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus_ (see previous ProMED-mail posts in the archives).
Maps
Bangladesh:
<http://www.nationsonline.org/maps/bangladesh_map.jpg> and <http://healthmap.org/promed/p/27768>
Bangladesh divisions and districts:
<http://tinyurl.com/bw2fuve>
Pictures
Photo gallery of virus symptoms on cucurbits:
<https://www.ipmimages.org/browse/Areathumb.cfm?area=96> and <http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/PhotoPages/Cucurbit/CucViruses/CucVirPhotoList.htm>
Links
Information on some pumpkin viruses:
<https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/minor-fruits/zucchini-yellow-mosaic-virus-cucurbit-crops>,
<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1744-7348.2003.tb00257.x>,
<https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/viral_infections_in_traditional_pumpkin_varieties>,
and via
<https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/pumpkin/infos>
Viruses of cucurbits, fact sheet with pictures:
<http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Viruses_Cucurbits.htm>
List of major cucurbit viruses via:
<https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/resources/commonnames/Pages/Cucurbits.aspx>
Virus taxonomy via:
<https://talk.ictvonline.org/taxonomy/>
- Mod.DHA]
[See Also:
2017
---
Undiagnosed virus, watermelon - India: (TN)
http://promedmail.org/post/20170420.4981972
2016
---
Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus - Australia: (WA)
http://promedmail.org/post/20160728.4375420
Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus - Germany
http://promedmail.org/post/20160510.4211865
Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus, cucurbits - Italy: 1st rep (SC)
http://promedmail.org/post/20160327.4121164
2012
---
Cucumber mosaic virus, muskmelon - India: (PB) susp.
http://promedmail.org/post/20120509.1128172
2011
---
Cucumber mosaic virus & mildew, muskmelon - India: (PB)
http://promedmail.org/post/20110505.1385
2008
---
Undiagnosed virus, muskmelon - India: (PU)
http://promedmail.org/post/20080523.1695
2005
---
Zucchini yellow mosaic, melon - Pakistan (Punjab)
http://promedmail.org/post/20050611.1624
2004
---
Yellow mosaic, cucumber- India: 1st report
http://promedmail.org/post/20040731.2088
Zucchini yellow mosaic, bottlegourd - India
http://promedmail.org/post/20040404.0930
2003
---
Tobacco streak virus, cucumber - India: first report
http://promedmail.org/post/20030918.2363
and additional items on cucurbit viruses in the archives]
Topics
Species
