ABSTRACT
Fungal pathogens inflict diseases in crop plants. These are also instrumental in spreading plant viruses. Fungi belonging to the genera Olpidium, Synchytrium, Polymyxa, and Spongospora are vectors of plant viruses. Coat protein of virus determines the transmission of a particular virus through a selective attachment on a site in the body of the vector. These viruses are either polyhedral or rod shaped. Of the 30 plant viruses known to be fungus borne,10 are polyhedral in shape and belong to family Tombusviridae and 18 viruses are rod shaped belong to genera Furoviruses and Bymoviruses (Protists’). Furoviruses are Soil borne wheat mosaic virus-SBWMV, Soil borne cereal mosaic virus-SBCMV, Chinese wheat mosaic virus-CWMV, Oat mosaic virus-OMV while genera Bymovirus includes Barley yellow mosaic virus-BaYMV, Barley mild mosaic virus-BaMMV, Wheat spindle streak mosaic virus-WSSMV, Wheat yellow mosaic virus-WYMV and Oat golden stripe mosaic virus-OGStV. With respect to the mechanism of transmission, these viruses are carried either internally (Polymyxa species/Spongospora) or externally by the vector (Olpidium species) through zoospores. These viruses are found adsorbed on the zoospores plasmalemma. The fungal borne viruses are from the genera Potexvirus, Carmovirus, Benyvirus, Bymovirus, Ophiovirus, and Pomovirus. Virus vector relationship between fungal vector and virus under all genera has been discussed. Under all the genera, at least one virus disease from each genus has been described.
