CurlON

CurlON
Name	CurlON

CurlON is an emerging plant pathogen complex implicated in curl symptoms on multiple economically important crops. First reported in regional surveys, the complex has been associated with diverse symptomatology, agronomic losses, and interactions with arthropod vectors and endophytic microbiota. Research on CurlON spans molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, integrated pest management, and economic impact assessment across several agroecosystems.

Overview

CurlON was characterized following increased reports of leaf curling, chlorosis, and yield reduction in field surveys conducted concurrently with outbreaks of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus-like syndromes, investigations of Bemisia tabaci-transmitted pathogens, and metagenomic studies tied to International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center screening plots. Taxonomic placement has been debated in literature arising from collaborations among groups at United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Comparative genomics situates members of the complex near families and genera that include other plant-associated pathogens described from collections at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Smithsonian Institution herbaria.

Biology and Life Cycle

Members of the CurlON complex exhibit life cycles involving replication in plant phloem tissues, movement facilitated by viral movement proteins, and persistence in alternate hosts. Studies combining approaches used by laboratories at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, John Innes Centre, and Sainsbury Laboratory indicate that systemic infection proceeds through cell-to-cell transport via plasmodesmata and long‑distance transport via sieve elements—processes similarly documented for pathogens in studies at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and University of California, Davis. Vector-mediated transmission experiments drawing on protocols from Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige and Institut Pasteur suggest acquisition and inoculation by piercing-sucking insects with replication or retention in vector tissues, with life stages and feeding behavior described using methods from Rothamsted Research.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat

Surveys and sequence-based detections have recorded CurlON-associated sequences across multiple continents, with notable reports from field studies led by teams at Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, University of São Paulo, University of Pretoria, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Agricultural Research Council (South Africa). Habitats include irrigated and rainfed agroecosystems, protected-culture sites monitored by Netafim-affiliated trials, and peri-urban production zones characterized in studies by Food and Agriculture Organization analysts. Distribution maps in consortium publications from European Food Safety Authority emphasize climatic and trade-related corridors connecting regions through plant material movement studied by International Plant Protection Convention frameworks.

Host Range and Pathogenicity

CurlON-affiliated agents have been detected on a wide host range encompassing solanaceous crops observed in International Tomato Genetics Resource Center screenings, cucurbit trials at University of California, Riverside, and legume collections curated by International Center for Tropical Agriculture. Pathogenicity assays following Kochian frameworks used at Wageningen University and University of Florida demonstrate variable symptom expression—from mild leaf curling to severe stunting and flower abscission—depending on cultivar, inoculum pressure, and coinfection status with agents studied by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-affiliated plant health programs. Interactions with symbionts and antagonists identified in work from University of Glasgow and University of Helsinki modulate virulence and host susceptibility.

Detection and Diagnostic Methods

Diagnosis of CurlON employs molecular techniques developed using platforms at Broad Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and diagnostic pipelines from Northeast Regional Network laboratories. Assays include conventional and quantitative PCR protocols adapted from International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants guidelines, loop-mediated isothermal amplification techniques pioneered at Osaka University, and high-throughput sequencing workflows utilized by Wellcome Sanger Institute. Serological methods leveraging monoclonal antibodies produced through collaborations with Institut Pasteur remain complementary in some regional laboratories, while field-deployable diagnostics draw on lateral-flow formats advanced at Roche Diagnostics and smartphone-enabled imaging studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Management and Control

Integrated management recommendations synthesize practices tested in trials at CIMMYT, International Potato Center, and World Vegetable Center. Measures include deployment of resistant cultivars screened using methods from International Rice Research Institute, vector management strategies informed by entomology research at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Boyce Thompson Institute, crop rotation schemes developed with input from United States Agency for International Development extension projects, and phytosanitary controls aligned with International Plant Protection Convention standards. Biological control agents evaluated in experiments at Université de Lyon and cultural practices trialed at University of Queensland contribute to suppression efforts, while seed certification systems governed by Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies aim to reduce dissemination.

Research and Economic Impact

Ongoing research priorities involve genome assembly efforts led by consortia including Genome Canada and comparative population genetics analyses performed at National Center for Biotechnology Information. Economic impact assessments conducted by economists at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Food and Agriculture Organization estimate production losses in affected commodities and model trade implications using frameworks from World Trade Organization. Multi-institutional funding from agencies such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and national science foundations supports surveillance networks linking academic centers including Cornell University, University of Cambridge, and Zhejiang University to extension services and seed industry stakeholders represented by International Seed Federation.

Category:Plant pathogens