Screening Of Cassava Plant In Oye Ekiti For African Cassava (Manihot Esculenta)Crantz, Mosaic Disease (Cmd) Infection By Polymerase Chain Reaction(Pcr)

ABSTRACTS

Cassava is vulnerable to a broad range of diseases caused by viruses. Among them, cassava

mosaic disease (CMD) is the most severe and widespread, limiting production of the crop in subSaharan

Africa.CMD-affected cassava plants produce few or no tubers depending on the severity

of the disease and the age of the plant at the time of infection. CMD is one of the major

constraints for cassava production in Nigeria. This study was therefore undertaken to determine

the extent of CMD infestation in Oye-Ekiti, South West, Nigeria. A multiplex polymerase chain

reaction (PCR) was carried out using the Oja mix primer mix for the simultaneous detection of

African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) and East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV).

Altogether, 60 cassava samples from 6 farms were evaluated. Only 7 samples amplified with

ACMV showing that 11.7% were positive to ACMV and no samples amplified with EACMV in

single and mixed infections, and sequencing results confirmed virus identities according to the

sequences of begomovirus species. By using the multiplex techniques, time was saved and

amount of reagents used were reduced, which translated into reduced cost of the diagnostics.

This tool can be used by cassava breeders screening for disease resistance; scientists doing virus

diagnostic studies; phytosanitary officers checking movement of diseased planting materials, and

seed certificationand multipliers, for virus indexing. The study showed that the ACMD load in Oye-Ekiti is not high and that EACMD has not reached the area at all.