Emerging Threats of Exotic Viruses to the Oman Agriculture: Diversity and Management Strategies

The Sultanate of Oman holds territory in the region of the Arabian Peninsula that is located in the South East. Oman has an extensive track record of establishing and maintaining commercial links with a number of countries, particularly those located in Asia and Africa, i.e., Iran and India. Oman imports food and other agricultural products primarily from Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, India, and other countries. Additionally, neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, as well as international markets in Europe and Southeast Asia, may also be sources for agricultural products. The vast majority of Oman’s agricultural output is devoted to satisfying the nation’s demand for food. This means that geography and human migration patterns impact Geminiviruses’ (circular and single-stranded genomes) diversity and distribution in Oman. A significant percentage of begomoviruses (the most diverse genus of Geminiviridae family) are of the bipartite structure, which is characteristic of viruses from the New World, whereas the monopartite structure is more common among Old World begomoviruses. In 1993, researchers found the first virus infection associated with begomoviruses in Oman; nonetheless, it took a very long time for scientists to fully comprehend the viruses and satellites involved for causing the virus infection. Growers knew about papaya (Carica papaya) and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) leaf curl infections and tomato leaf curl disease before 1993. Oman’s most prevalent begomovirus types are monopartite, which are non-native begomoviruses associated with different satellites. Despite the wide variety of betasatellites that may be found in Africa, Oman has only found two betasatellites, despite its location near both the Middle East and Asia.: the tomato leaf curl betasatellite (ToLCB) and the okra leaf curl Oman betasatellite (OLCOMB). The whitefly that transmits betasatellite and begomovirus is a polyphagous insect, which is responsible for the spread of both (viruses and satellites). Eliminating and killing alternate host plants that operate as reservoirs for a range of begomoviruses and related DNA satellites is an urgent necessity, particularly in the earliest stages of the crop. This is because of the importance of preventing the spread of the disease.