Study of Important Soil-Borne Viruses in Major Potato Growing Areas of Hazara and Malakand Divisions Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw-

To study important soil-borne viruses of potato an extensive field surveys were conducted in Hazara and Malakand Divisions during potato growing seasons in 2011-12. Incidence and distribution of Potato mop-top pomovirus (PMTV) and Tobacco rattle tobra virus (TRV) was reported on the basis of characteristic symptoms expression, bait test, infectivity assays and double antibody sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). Both the viruses were prevalent in Hazara and Malakand divisions. The average symptoms based incidence in Hazara division for PMTV was 8.83 % and TRV was 6.80 % while in Malakand division the average symptoms based incidence for PMTV was 8.46 % and TRV was 9.95%. DAS-ELISA based average incidence in Hazara of PMTV and TRV was 17.34 % and 11.99 % respectively. The average DAS-ELISA based incidence in Malakand division for PMTV was 21.36 % and TRV was 13.71%. The highest symptom based incidence of PMTV in the Hazara was in Baffa 10.75 % and in Kalam 10.34 % was in Malakand division whereas the highest incidence of TRV in Hazara was in Gojri 8.08 % and in Malakand was in Shangla-top 11.62 %. The highest incidence of PMTV based on ELISA was recorded in samples collected from the farmers field at Baffa (21.73%) of Hazara while (23.80%) in Kalam of Malakand division. The highest incidence of TRV based on ELISA in Hazara was found in Mangal 14.28 % and in Malakand division the highest incidence was in Shangla To