Serological and Molecular Studies on potato virus Y

Changes in the agricultural landscape, crop management, crop intensification, introduction of foreign plant material via increased trade and climate change favor the emergence of infectious diseases of plants. Plant viruses, as causal agents of diseases, can have significant and devastating impacts on many cultivated crops worldwide. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the most important species for the global diet and one of the most consumed crops worldwide. The most cited virus could affect potato crop in the world is potato virus Y. PVY is one of the most destructive pathogens all over the world. It causes a lot of damage in the economically important crops potato, tomato, tobacco and pepper. Also, PVY is the type member of the Genus Potyvirus that had been classified within member of the potyviridae family, which is the second largest plant virus family. Potatoes are attacked by different viral diseases causing a serious damage on potato production. PVY has been recognized as a threat to potato cultivation. PVY exists as a complex of strains that may be defined based on hypersensitive resistance (HR) reactions. Currently, fourteen strains of PVY have been defined.