Survey of Cotton Viruses in Mid-Southern States

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is one of the most economically important crops worldwide. In the United States, cotton is an important commodity and Texas is the leading state in cotton acreage and production. Various viruses have been reported worldwide that infect cotton plants and have significantly affected the quality and quantity of cotton yield. It is very important to know about a particular virus that infects cotton in the US before formulating control measures against a specific virus. The purpose of this project is to survey cotton fields in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas for virus-like diseases, identify potential viruses and determine their relationships with the known virus diseases reported in other countries. Updated results will be discussed.