Genetic diversity and population dynamics of whiteflies associated with cassava mosaic disease in Mozambique

Genetic diversity and population dynamics of whiteflies associated with cassava mosaic disease in Mozambique | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Genetic diversity and population dynamics of whiteflies associated with cassava mosaic disease in Mozambique Anelise Orílio, Osvaldo Sande, Baltazar Chipiringo, Ana Reis, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8476325/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), caused by a complex of begomoviruses (family Geminiviridae) is the main biotic constraint for cassava cultivation in the African continent. Its spread has been driven by sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) species of whiteflies from the Bemisia tabaci cryptic species complex. However, information on the genetic make-up of whitefly populations is lacking for several African countries where cassava is an important crop, including Mozambique. The aim of this work was to determine the geographic distribution and genetic diversity of whiteflies associated with cassava mosaic disease in Mozambique. A survey was conducted in 2018 in the main cassava production regions. Fourteen districts in five provinces were sampled, and DNA was extracted from 864 individual whiteflies. The prevalence and severity of CMD was also assessed, and the results highlight its wide distribution in all sampled fields. Based on pairwise comparisons and molecular phylogeny of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (mtCOI), three African B. tabaci putative species were present. Sub-Saharan Africa 1 subgroup 3 (SSA1-SG3) is the most prevalent species, representing 70% of the individuals analyzed. The prevalence of B. tabaci Sub-Saharan Africa 5 (SSA5), and of a putative new species, named B. tabaci Sub-Saharan Africa 21 (SSA21), was of approx. 6%, occurring in most fields. We also detected for the first time the occurrence of B. afer in Mozambique, with 24% prevalence. Our results provide the first comprehensive description of whitefly diversity in cassava crops in Mozambique and underscore the expansion of African whitefly populations. whitefly diversity cassava Bemisia tabaci Bemisia afer begomovirus virus vector Full Text Supplementary Files Orilioetal.SupportingInformation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revisions 28 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 14 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 29 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8476325","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":577622993,"identity":"d8bba8bb-ad2e-4849-8ee2-2c1d573294ca","order_by":0,"name":"Anelise Orílio","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anelise","middleName":"","lastName":"Orílio","suffix":""},{"id":577622994,"identity":"42afa7dc-6e97-46f3-8e70-1bbe23d53815","order_by":1,"name":"Osvaldo 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