Detection of molecular variability in rice tungro bacilliform viruses from India using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism

Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) with rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) causes the destructive tungro disease of rice. In order to ascertain the molecular variability of RTBV in India, primers were designed to amplify a polymorphic DNA fragment of the virus. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis on a number of field isolates indicated mixed infections and molecular heterogeneity in the viral genome.