Occurrence of Viruses Infecting Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) in South Korea

In 2015, a nationwide survey was carried out to investigate about occurrence pattern of virus infecting foxtail millet. A total 100 foxtail millet leaf samples showing virus-like and abnormal symptoms were collected in the seven main cultivated regions of Korea. Four viruses were identified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and RNA sequencing. Of the collected 100 foxtail millet samples, 10 were Barley virus G (BVG), 4 were Rice stripe virus (RSV), 1 was Northern cereal mosaic virus (NCMV), and 1 was Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV) infection. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of BVG and NCMV infecting foxtail millet in Korea and ScYLV is expected as new Polerovirus species. This research will be useful in breeding for improved disease-resistant foxtail millet cultivars.