Nucleotide sequences of segment five of the Egyptian banana bunchy top babuvirus [electronic resource].

Includes references.

anana and plantains (Musa sp.) are the fourth most important global food crop after rice, wheat and maize (Piertersen and Thomas, 2001), it's also occupy an important position in the agriculture economies of Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Sirilanka and south China. The world banana production is estimated at 64.6 million tons in 2000 (Anonymous, 2001). Banana production is subjected to many natural climates, but diseases such as fungal, viral, bacterial and nematodes constitute a major problem. Bisheng et al. (1997) reported that the viral diseases threaten banana production with a ratio of about 20-30 % and occasionally reach 50- 80% worldwide. Banana bunchy top babuvirus (BBTV) is the casual agent of banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) (Dale, 1987) and is classified as a member of nanoviradae based on its molecular characterization (Dugdale et al., 1998; Harding et al., 2000). BBTV is a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus and has small isometric virions of 18-20 nm, and is persistently transmitted by the banana aphid PentaloPentalonia nigronervosa (Harding et al., 1991). Its genome consists of at least six components of circular ssDNA each about 1 Kb in size (Burns et al., 1995). Each of the six DNA components associated with BBTV encoded at least one gene (Beetham et al., 1997; Beetham et al., 1999).

Summary in Arabic.

1