Occurrence and Relative Prevalence of Sugar Beet Yellowing Viruses in the United Kingdom Between 2019 and 2022

Virus yellows disease (VY) is a global issue caused by a complex of virus species and affects sugar beet crops worldwide. Previous studies undertaken prior to the widespread use of neonicotinoid seed treatments had identified beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) as the predominant cause of the disease in the United Kingdom. Up-to-date knowledge of the causal agent(s) of this disease is important for the successful deployment of integrated pest management strategies, including the use of resistant sugar beet varieties. However, only a limited number of studies have been conducted into the epidemiology of VY in recent decades. The findings of this 3-year monitoring survey, utilizing a novel small RNA sequencing approach, suggest beet chlorosis virus (BChV) as the most prevalent virus associated with VY in the United Kingdom during this period. In comparison with conventional detection tools, the methodology described here permitted the detection of nontarget viruses including beet mosaic virus and beet cryptic virus, but no new causative agents of VY were identified.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.