Occurrence and alternation of cytorhabdoviruses on wheat in northern China

Northern cereal mosaic cytorhabdovirus (NCMV) and Barley yellow striate mosaic cytorhabdovirus (BYSMV) are two of the most important viral pathogens of wheat. Northern China is the main wheat-producing region in the country. Wheat growing regions pertaining to four provinces, located in northern China, were surveyed for occurrence of NCMV and BYSMV during the growing seasons of the years 2010 and 2016. Wheat leaf samples were collected randomly from symptomatic plants displaying stunting, chlorotic stripes or mosaic. Roughly 73 samples were collected in the year 2010 from 13 fields, and 154 samples were collected in 2016 from 41 fields. Samples were tested for the presence of NCMV or BYSMV using multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR). The results suggested that BYSMV (49.32% in 2010, 82.47% in 2016) is gradually replacing NCMV (87.67% in 2010, 13.64% in 2016) and becoming the main cytorhabdovirus in different wheat growing regions in northern China.