Chickpea stunt disease (CSD), caused by Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV) is a threat to chickpea production leading to yield losses of 75⁻95%. Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus is a monopartite, single-stranded circular DNA virus in the genus Mastrevirus and family Geminiviridae. It is transmitted by Orosius albicinctus in a circulative (persistent) and nonpropagative manner. Symptoms of CSD include very small leaves, intense discoloration (yellowing (kabuli type) and reddening (desi type)), and bushy stunted appearance of the plant. Presently, CpCDVs occurs in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, causing extensive losses on economically important crops in in the families Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, Brassicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Caricaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Leguminosae, Malvaceae, Pedaliaceae, and Solanaceae. High frequency of recombinations has played a significant role in the wide host range, diversification, and rapid evolution of CpCDVs. This review highlights the extensive research on the CpCDV genome diversity, host range, plant⁻virus⁻insect interactions, and RNA interference-based resistance of CpCDV, providing new insights into the host adaptation and virus evolution.
Keywords: Betasatellite; Chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus; CpCDV; Mastrevirus; RNA interference; genetic diversity; infectivity; recombination; resistance.