In 2018, the family Arenaviridae was expanded by inclusion of 1 new genus and 5 novel species. At the same time, the recently established order Bunyavirales was expanded by 3 species. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the family Arenaviridae and the order Bunyavirales as now accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and summarizes additional taxonomic proposals that may affect the order in the near future.

Rose rosette was first described in the early 1940s and it has emerged as one of the most devastating diseases of roses. Although it has been 70 years since the disease description, the rosette agent is yet to be characterized. In this communication, we identify and characterize the putative causal agent of the disease, a negative-sense RNA virus and new member of the genus Emaravirus. The virus was detected in 84/84 rose rosette-affected plants collected from the eastern half of the USA, but not in any of 30 symptomless plants tested. The strong correlation between virus and disease is a good indication that the virus, provisionally named Rose rosette virus, is the causal agent of the disease. Diversity studies using two virus proteins, p3 and p4, demonstrated that the virus has low diversity between isolates as they share nucleotide identities ranging from 97 to 99%.

Fig mosaic occurs worldwide and is the most common and important viral disease of fig. In the quest to identify the causal agent of the disease, several new viruses have been identified, including a new DNA virus, the subject of this communication. Phylogenetic analysis placed the virus, provisionally named Fig badnavirus-1 (FBV-1), in the genus Badnavirus, family Caulimoviridae. The experimental host range of FBV-1 was evaluated and the virus was mechanically transmitted to several herbaceous hosts. FBV-1 was detected in the National Clonal Germplasm Repository fig collection and additional samples from Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and South Carolina, suggesting its wide distribution in the United States. Further tests revealed the presence of FBV-1 in seedlings and meristem tissue culture plants. Forty-four isolates were used in a study evaluating the population structure of the virus in the United States. Evidence that FBV-1 is integrated in the fig genome is presented and discussed.

Vector-borne virus diseases of wheat are recurrent in nature and pose significant threats to crop production worldwide. In the spring of 2011 and 2012, a state-wide sampling survey of multiple commercial field sites and university-managed Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station variety performance trial locations spanning all nine crop-reporting regions of the state was conducted to determine the occurrence of Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV), Cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV, Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), High plains virus, Soilborne wheat mosaic virus, and Wheat spindle streak mosaic virus using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). As a means of directly coupling tiller infection status with tiller grain yield, multiple pairs of symptomatic and nonsymptomatic plants were selected and individual tillers were tagged for virus species and grain yield determination at the variety performance trial locations. BYDV-PAV and WSMV were the two most prevalent species across the state, often co-occurring within location. Of those BYDV-PAV- or WSMV-positive tillers, 22% and 19%, respectively, were nonsymptomatic, a finding that underscores the importance of sampling criteria to more accurately assess virus occurrence in winter wheat fields. Symptomatic tillers that tested positive for BYDV-PAV produced significantly lower grain yields compared with ELISA-negative tillers in both seasons, as did WSMV-positive tillers in 2012. Nonsymptomatic tillers that tested positive for either of the two viruses in 2011 produced significantly lower grain yields than tillers from nonsymptomatic, ELISA-negative plants, an indication that these tillers were physiologically compromised in the absence of virus-associated symptoms. Overall, the virus survey and tagged paired-tiller sampling strategy revealed effects of virus infection on grain yield of individual tillers of plants grown under field conditions and may provide a complementary approach toward future estimates of the impact of virus incidence on crop health in Kansas.

The pollen- and seed-borne ilarviruses pose a substantial threat to many specialty crops, including berries, rose, and tree fruit, because there are no efficient control measures other than avoidance. The case of Blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus (BCRV) is of particular interest because the virus has been found to be an integral part of blackberry yellow vein disease and is widespread in rose plants affected by rose rosette disease. This study provides insight into the epidemiology of BCRV, including incidence in blackberry and rose; host range, with the addition of apple as a host of the virus; and seed transmission that exceeded 50% in rose. Sensitive detection protocols that can be used to avoid dissemination of infected material through nurseries and breeding programs were also developed.