Soybean stay-green associated geminivirus: A serious threat to soybean production in China

Soybean is one of the most valuable legume crops in the world. Soybean stay-green syndrome (SGS), which causes delayed leaf senescence (stay-green), flat pods, and abnormal seeds of soybean, has become one of the most serious diseases of soybean in the Huang-Huai-Hai Valley of China. However, the causal agent of SGS was controversial. Until recently, a newly evolved geminivirus with the unassigned genus in the family Geminiviridae, soybean stay-green associated geminivirus (SoSGV) was identified by several individual labs as one of the main causative agents of SGS. The epidemiological assessment reveals that SGS is prevalent in the field and is undergoing geographical expansion and genetic differentiation. The common brown leafhopper (Orosius orientalis) is considered the transmission vector of SoSGV. In this review, we discuss the biology and epidemiology of SoSGV and summarize its occurrence, distribution, and transmission in China, which would benefit further studies and support preventing and controlling this virus.