Broad bean stain virus (BBSV) is a plant pathogenic virus of the family '' Comoviridae''. It infects species in the Fabaceae family of flowering legumes and is not restricted to only

broad beans ''Vicia faba'', commonly known as the broad bean, fava bean, or faba bean, is a species of vetch, a flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated as a crop for human consumption, and also as a cover crop. Var ...

despite its name. The virus is transmitted through seeds and also plant weevils, such as '' Apion vorax''. It is a positive-sense single stranded RNA virus. Infections were first reported in the UK in 1965, with cases since reported throughout Europe, northern Africa, Australia, and Asia. Infected broad bean plants exhibit

mottling Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots o ...

and the seeds of infected plants can display a necrotic pattern on the

seed coat A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm p ...

. Studies by pest management plant biologists have seen success in trials that assessed

titanium dioxide nanoparticles Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

as a way of reducing the harmful effects of the virus on broad beans due to its importance as a food crop worldwide.

External links

ICTVdB - The Universal Virus Database: Broad bean stain virus

References

Comoviruses Viral plant pathogens and diseases {{Virus-plant-disease-stub