U of I Scientists Discover Potential New Virus in Switchgrass
November 5, 2010| |
Researchers at the University of Illinois have confirmed the report that there could possibly be a new virus in switchgrass, a biomass crop that is being considered for commercial cellulosic ethanol production. The virus has similar symptoms with mosaic and yellow streak viruses. The virus could possibly cause decrease in photosynthesis, and thus in biomass yield.
The virus is suspected to belong to genus Marafivirus, a group of viruses that cause extreme yield losses in other crops. For instance, the Maize rayado fino virus (MRFV), a member of this genus, has been reported to bring maize yield reductions in Mexico, Central America, and South America.
"Viral diseases are potentially significant threats to bioenergy crops such as Miscanthus x giganteus, energycane and switchgrass," said Bright Agindotan, research associate working in Carl Bradley's laboratory as part of the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) located in the Institute for Genomic Biology at the U of I. "Our team at EBI has been charged with identifying potential pests and pathogens of these bioenergy crops."
Researchers are still conducting experiments to confirm if this virus could also harm other crops.
Visit http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news5464.html for more details.
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