Combination of an image-posting system and molecular diagnosis for detecting Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD), a serious threat to cassava production, is caused by two begomovirus species in Asia, Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) and Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV). Cassava mosaic disease has recently spread into Southeast Asia and it is urgent to establish an efficient system to monitor its spread. Cassava fields were surveyed for CMD on the web using a smartphone-based farming support application, AGRIBUDDY, to obtain photos of CMD and their time, location, and contact information posted to the AGRIBUDDY cloud by farmers. To diagnose a pathogen, we designed novel PCR primers for CMD identification. By combining these two techniques, we detected SLCMV occurrence in Kampong Thom, Cambodia.