Full-length infectious cDNA clones were constructed from the genomic RNAs of three distinct strains (K-G7, K-Ha1 and K-Ho1) of the comovirus Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). Whereas K-G7, a subgroup I strain, and K-Ha1, a subgroup II strain produce mild mottling, the reassortant strain K-Ho1 (RNA1(I) + RNA2(II)) induces necrotic primary lesions on inoculated leaves of soybean and severe systemic leaf mottling and blistering. Pseudorecombinants of all possible combinations of transcripts were generated and tested for symptom production. Only soybean plants inoculated with combinations having RNA1 derived from the severe strain K-Ho1, regardless of the origin of RNA2, induced severe symptoms, indicating that symptom severity maps to RNA1. Experiments with chimeric RNA1 constructs indicated that the coding regions of the protease co-factor (Co-pro) and the C-terminal half of the putative helicase (Hel) are determinants of symptom severity. Symptom severity correlated well with higher accumulation of viral RNA, but neither the Co-pro nor Hel protein could be demonstrated as a suppressor of RNA silencing.