Laisha
AI Operating System for Agriculture
Ask Laisha
Laisha
AI Operating System for Agriculture
Ask Laisha
Cotton leaf curl begomoviruses with satellites Mainly Begomovirus gossypimultanense (cotton leaf curl Multan virus) and related begomoviruses, with cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite · formerly or also: CLCuD, cotton leaf curl virus disease
Cotton leaf curl disease makes cotton leaves curl, thickens and darkens their veins, and produces small leaf-like outgrowths on the undersides of leaves; infected plants are stunted and set few bolls. It is caused by a complex of whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses together with small DNA satellites. It has caused huge losses in Pakistan and north-western India since the late 1980s, and related viruses cause the disease in Africa.
Cotton leaf curl disease is caused by Cotton leaf curl begomoviruses with satellites Mainly Begomovirus gossypimultanense (cotton leaf curl Multan virus) and related begomoviruses, with cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite, a virus complex (begomoviruses with DNA satellites), spread by whiteflies (order Geplafuvirales, family Geminiviridae).
Older or alternative scientific names: CLCuD, cotton leaf curl virus disease.
Major in Pakistan and north-western India; it has also appeared in China (on hibiscus and cotton). In Africa, cotton leaf curl Gezira virus and related viruses cause the disease in Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria and elsewhere. Related begomoviruses associated with the disease have recently been reported in the Americas.
| Region | Status |
|---|---|
| South Asia | Widespread and severe in Pakistan and north-western India |
| East and South-East Asia | Present |
| Africa | Present, caused by related begomoviruses |
| Americas | Related viruses reported; under study |
Small twin-particle DNA viruses (begomoviruses) confined to the phloem, usually with a betasatellite that is needed for full symptoms and an alphasatellite. They are carried by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in a persistent way and are not spread by seed or contact. Diagnosis is by PCR in the laboratory.
| Crop stage | What you see |
|---|---|
| Young plants | Small dark green, thickened veins on young leaves; leaves curl upward or downward; severe stunting when infected early. |
| Older plants | Thickened, dark veins; cup-shaped leaves; leaf-like outgrowths (enations) on the vein undersides; shortened internodes. |
| Fruiting | Fewer squares and bolls, smaller bolls and lower lint yield and quality. |
Whiteflies acquire the viruses while feeding on infected plants and, after a latent period of hours, transmit them for many days or for life. The viruses survive between cotton seasons in weeds, okra, hibiscus and other hosts, and in ratoon or volunteer cotton. Epidemics build up as whitefly numbers rise in the hot season.
| Stage | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Survival in reservoir hosts | Between seasons | Weeds, okra, hibiscus, volunteer cotton. |
| Acquisition by whiteflies | Minutes to hours of feeding | Persistent, circulative. |
| Transmission to cotton | Through the season | Early infections cause most loss. |
| Symptom development | About 2-3 weeks | Vein thickening first. |
Spread follows whitefly populations, which build up in hot, dry weather; high temperatures favour both the vector and the disease.
Continuous spread during whitefly activity.
High whitefly populations; early-sown cotton exposed to whitefly peaks; susceptible varieties; virus reservoirs in okra, hibiscus, weeds and ratoon cotton; and overuse of insecticides that cause whitefly resurgence.
There is no economic threshold for the disease; management is preventive, based on resistant or tolerant varieties and keeping whitefly numbers low, using whitefly thresholds set by local programmes.
Thresholds are local. They depend on crop price, control cost, variety and natural-enemy activity, so use the figure your local extension service publishes where one exists.
In Pakistan and north-western India, two major epidemics over the past few decades caused very large losses; resistant varieties bred in the 1990s saved many growers, until a resistance-breaking strain (the 'Burewala' strain) emerged around 2001 and caused new losses. Early infection can reduce yield by more than half.
Control works best as a sequence: prevent, monitor, then act only when a threshold or a risk forecast says so, using the least disruptive option that works.
No chemical controls the viruses; insecticides against whiteflies reduce spread only partly and can cause resurgence if overused. What is registered differs by country and changes over time; follow the label and your local plant-protection authority.
| Scheme | Group | Mode of action | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRAC | 16 | Inhibitors of chitin biosynthesis, type 1, against whitefly nymphs | Selective. |
| IRAC | 7C | Juvenile hormone mimics, against whitefly eggs and nymphs | Selective. |
| IRAC | 23 | Inhibitors of acetyl CoA carboxylase, against whitefly nymphs | Systemic. |
Cotton is the main crop host; okra, tomato, hibiscus and other mallow-family ornamentals, and many weeds also carry the viruses.
How to grow the crop well is the first line of defence. Laisha's free grow guides cover each crop from sowing to harvest:
Written by Laisha from the sources above, in its own words. This page is general reference, not a prescription: confirm identification locally and follow the label and your plant-protection authority.