biology

Indian cassava mosaic virus

Indian cassava mosaic virus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Indian cassava mosaic virus rather than just read about it. In short: Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) is a plant pathogenic virus of the family Geminiviridae. It affects cassava (Manihot esculenta) in India and certain other countries.

Key takeaways

Indian cassava mosaic virus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Indian cassava mosaic virus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Indian cassava mosaic virus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) is a plant pathogenic virus of the family Geminiviridae. It affects cassava (Manihot esculenta) in India and certain other countries. It is considered to be an invasive species.

History This virus was unknown in India before the introduction of cassava into the country by the Portuguese in the seventeenth century, nor has a similar virus been reported in the New World where cassava originated. It is possible that the virus is native to India, affecting some yet-to-be-identified plant host, with the virus later adopting cassava as its preferred host; once present in a crop, the virus can be spread from plant to plant by insects such as whitefly. The virus was first noticed in India in 1942. Its incidence is higher in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the states where most cassava is grown, and it is of little consequence elsewhere in the country. Depending on the cultivar and the time of year, losses in root yield can vary from negligible to 84%.

Hosts In India, the natural hosts of ICMV are Manihot esculenta and Manihot carthaginensis subsp. glaziovii. Additionally, Jatropha curcas shows mosaic symptoms similar to cassava infected by ICMV; affected leaves have been shown to react in ELISA bioassay trials to African cassava mosaic virus antiserum, but follow up with a DNA B probe has provided negative results. This mosaic disease may be a new strain of ICMV affecting J. curcas, a plant with a potential as a biofuel crop, and it may become necessary to develop virus-resistant clones.

Symptoms The foliage of the plant exhibits the main symptoms which are yellow or green mosaic patterns appearing on the leaves, mottling, contortion, mis-shapen leaves, distorted growing points, stunting of the plant, rosetting, dwarfing and reduction in the root system.

Transmission ICMV is not transmissible by seed, so cassava seedlings are initially healthy. However the crop is mainly planted by stem cuttings and these are often infected. The main vectors involved in transferring the virus between plants are whitefly, particularly the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). One strain of B. tabaci in India infests cassava, eggplant and tobacco, and transmits ICMV. A second biotype infests sweet potato, cotton, eggplant, tobacco and tomato but not cassava, and this seems incapable of transmitting ICMV. The spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus, also colonises cassava in India but whether it has a role in transferring the virus remains unclear.

References

External links ICTVdB – The Universal Virus Database: Indian cassava mosaic virus

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Indian cassava mosaic virus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Indian cassava mosaic virus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Indian cassava mosaic virus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Indian cassava mosaic virus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Indian cassava mosaic virus

In research: Indian cassava mosaic virus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Indian cassava mosaic virus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Indian cassava mosaic virus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Begomovirus, Viral plant pathogens and diseases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Indian cassava mosaic virus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Indian cassava mosaic virus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Indian cassava mosaic virus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Indian cassava mosaic virus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indian cassava mosaic virus in simple terms?

Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) is a plant pathogenic virus of the family Geminiviridae. It affects cassava (Manihot esculenta) in India and certain other countries.

Why does Indian cassava mosaic virus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Indian cassava mosaic virus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Indian cassava mosaic virus.