Diversity of geminiviruses occurring on jatropha (Jatropha curcus), a biodiesel crop

Jatropha species (family Euphorbiaceae) are distributed throughout the world. Among them Jatropha curcas has attracted many researchers due to its many excellent characteristics, including high yield ability, high oil content, resistance to drought, and good quality of the plant oil; it is considered to be a biodiesel plant. The prevalence of Jatropha mosaic disease has been noted which has drastically affected Jatropha cultivation in India. The disease consists of symptoms like severe mosaic, blistering, leaf distortion, and stunting of the whole plant resulting in low seed yield as compared to healthy one. Therefore, the molecular study of begomovirus/es causing severe mosaic disease in Jatropha species cultivated in India was considered to be essential. Jatropha cultivars can be screened for virus-free propagative materials to be used for breeding programs, mass propagation, or large-scale Jatropha cultivation. The chapter describes molecular detection, characterization, and identification of begomovirus/es infecting J. curcas and disease management strategies.