Abstract
Visacane is a sugarcane quarantine station located in the South of France, far away from sugarcane growing areas. Visacane imports up to 100 sugarcane varieties per year, using safe control and confinement measures of plants and their wastes to prevent any risk of pathogen spread outside of the facilities. Viruses hosted by the imported material are either known or unknown to cause disease in cultivated sugarcane. Poaceae viruses occurring in plants surrounding the quarantine glasshouse are currently unknown. These viruses could be considered as a source of new sugarcane infections and potentially cause new sugarcane diseases in cases of confinement barrier failure. The aim of this study was to compare the plant virome inside and outside of the quarantine station to identify potential confinement failures and risks of cross infections. Leaves from quarantined sugarcane varieties and from wild Poaceae growing near the quarantine were collected and processed by a metagenomics approach based on virion-associated nucleic acids extraction and library preparation for Illumina sequencing. While viruses belonging to the same virus genus or family were identified in the sugarcane quarantine and its surroundings, no virus species was detected in both environments. Based on the data obtained in this study, no virus movement between quarantined sugarcane and nearby grassland has occurred so far, and the confinement procedures of Visacane appear to be properly implemented.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilSugarcane (Saccharum interspecific hybrids) belongs to the Poaceae family and is cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas for the production of sugar and ethanol
Analysis of the Virome of Quarantined Sugarcane and of Wild Poaceae Growing Outside the Sugarcane Quarantine Glasshouse
The area surrounding the sugarcane quarantine of Cirad in the South of France hosts a great diversity of viruses in wild Poaceae, which appears greater than the one occurring in quarantined sugarcane varieties
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilSugarcane (Saccharum interspecific hybrids) belongs to the Poaceae family and is cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas for the production of sugar and ethanol. To be competitive on the global market and for diversification of products, sugarcane farmers need to use the best-performing varieties and breeders need genetic resources to create them. Moving plants across international borders for exchange between breeders or directly to producers is an essential step of this process. Plant movement involves biosafety to protect local production by avoiding pathogen introduction and spread. Safe and accurate quarantine procedures need to be implemented, including accurate disease testing [1]. To control disease introduction through sugarcane germplasm movement in the outermost French European regions and for partners in Africa, a sugarcane quarantine station was established in 1971 by the Institut de Recherche en Agronomie Tropicale in iations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
