Status of cassava mosaic virus diseases and cassava Begomoviruses in sub-Saharan Africa

The current status of cassava Begomoviruses, the most serious constraint to the production of cassava, a major staple food crop in sub-Saharan Africa, is reviewed in relation to their distribution, effects, etiology, and epidemiology. It is concluded that control of the diseases would continue to depend on integrated management involving cultural practices and use of resistant cultivars. Current trends in diagnosis and control, including the production of transgenic plants, selection for resistance in cassava via molecular markers, and the determination of resistant profiles of cassava genotypes to a range of virus variants, are also discussed. (C) 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.