Indian Phytopath. 57 (2) : 245-246 (2004) Quick detection of Cotton leaf curl virus

Amongst all the diseases infecting cotton, leaf curl disease caused by the whitefly transmitted geminivirus, is the most damaging. In India, Cotton leaf curl virus(CLCuV) was first detected from Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan during 1993 and from Punjab (India) in 1994 (4,6). It has now spread over the entire northern cotton growing zone of India, posing a major threat to its production. The virus can infect several collateral and alternate hosts that acts as source of inoculum for its spread and perennation from one season to another by its whitefly vector (5). Timely detection of the latent infection can help in rogueing of plants to prevent further spread of the virus. This communication reports the use of polymerase chai