Surveys conducted in 1996 and 1997 to assess the status of virus diseases affecting faba bean in the major growing areas of Ethiopia indicated that leaf yellowing, rolling, necrosis and stunting were the most common disease symptoms. The highest visually-observed disease incidence in a field was 85%, recorded in the Wello region (north-eastern Ethiopia). When 3049 symptomatic samples collected from 211 fields from all over Ethiopia were tested by the tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) for 14 viruses, 1592 samples (52.2%) were found to be infected with at least one virus. Faba bean necrotic yellows virus (FBNYV, genus Nanovirus) was the most frequent (63.2%), followed by luteoviruses (28.5%) [such as Beet western yellows virus (BWYV, genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae) and Bean leaf roll virus (BLRV, family Luteoviridae)] and Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CCDV, genus Mastrevirus, family Geminiviridae) (3.1%). Mosaic/mottling symptoms were observed in some fields but incidence was always very low (

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) are among the major cool-season food legumes grown in Ethiopia. Fungal and viral diseases are important factors limiting production of these two crops in the Country. As there is no systematic study on the virus diseases of these crops, a survey to identify virus diseases of chickpea and lentil crops in Shewa province, Ethiopia, was conducted during November 14-23, 1998. The survey covered a random selection of 33 chickpea and 32 lentil fields. Virus disease incidence was determined by laboratory testing 100-200 randomly collected samples from each field with antisera of 12 viruses. In chickpea fields, beet western yellows polerovirus (BWYV) was most frequently found and in lentil fields pea seed-borne mosaic potyvirus (PSbMV) was the most common, followed by luteoviruses [BWYV and soybean dwarf virus (SbDV)]. Laboratory testing of random samples showed that 5 chickpea and 11 lentil fields had a virus disease incidence of 21% or higher. The highest virus disease incidence in a single field was 58.5% for lentil (PSbMV) and 41.3% for chickpea (BWYV). Other viruses detected more rarely were faba bean necrotic yellows nanovirus (FBNYV) and broad bean wilt fabavirus (BBWV) in chickpea; FBNYV, broad bean stain comovirus (BBSV), bean yellow mosaic potyvirus (BYMV) and cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) in lentil

A survey conducted during November 14-23, 1998, to identify viruses infecting chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and lentil (Lens culinaris) crops in the Shewa province of Ethiopia covered 33 chickpea and 32 lentil fields randomly selected. Identity of the viruses present and virus incidence were determined on the basis of laboratory testing of 100 to 200 randomly collected samples in addition to 15 to 20 symptomatic samples from each field. A total of 5,427 lentil and 3,836 chickpea samples were collected and tested for the presence of 12 different viruses by tissue blot immunoassay (1) at the Plant Pathology Laboratory in Debre Zeit Agriculture Research Center, Ethiopia. All antisera were virus specific, including those for beet western yellows virus (BWYV; ATCC PVAS-647) and soybean dwarf virus (SbDV; ATCC PVAS-650). More than 21% of the samples from 5 chickpea fields were infected; the most common virus was BWYV. Also, at least 21% of the samples from 11 lentil fields were virus positive; the most widespread virus was PSbMV. Highest rates of infection: of lentil in a single field, PSbMV in 58.5% of the samples; in a chickpea field, 41.3% of the samples positive for BWYV. Other viruses such as faba bean necrotic yellows nanovirus (FBNYV) and broad bean wilt fabavirus in chickpea and FBNYV, broad bean stain comovirus, bean yellow mosaic potyvirus, and cucumber mosaic cucumovirus in lentil were detected at very low incidence. Reference: (1) K. M. Makkouk and A. Comeau. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 100:71, 1994.