Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus Research

In 2019 a complete genome of Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus (CLRDV) was described from isolates collected in three Alabama counties. As of October 2019, formal 1st reports have been published or submitted for SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, and TX. In each instance, cotton plants testing positive for CLRDV had been found in several counties from each state, including over 40 counties in Mississippi. Symptoms are first noted as drooping leaves that are typically red in the East, but may be dark green further west such as in MS. Symptoms progress to crinkling of leaves; deformation of top growth, flowers, and bolls; and may progress to boll drop, stunting, stacking of internodes, and in late season, exaggerated elongation of the mainstem. Compared to 2017, incidence increased in the fall of 2018, and increased to an even greater extent by July 2019. In 2019 many asymptomatic plants tested positive for the virus. However, fall estimates of severity indicated very few fields in AL, GA, and MS had experienced severe yield loss on a field basis. A conference of public and industry researchers was jointly organized by Auburn University and Cotton Incorporated to summarize 2019 finding and identify research needs for 2020.

Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus Research Review Meeting Presentations

October 8, 2019

Cotton Incorporated, Auburn University, University of Georgia, Mississippi State University, and the USDA-ARS