Scientists unravel genome and diversity of whitefly vector behind viral diseases devastating cassava in Africa

As part of efforts to control the spread of the two viral diseases attacking cassava in Africa, cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD)—scientists have announced a breakthrough whole genome sequencing of Bemisia tabaci, the African whitefly that is spreading the diseases. To develop the genome map of the African whitefly, the team drawn from IITA with partners at Cornell University, USA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), collected cassava whiteflies from a single field in Chato, northwestern Tanzania, a region characterized by a super-abundance of whiteflies on cassava and severe CMD and CBSD epidemics.
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