A step closer in dissecting individual virus attributes in the blackberry yellow vein disease complex

Viral infections have a major impact on blackberry yields, with blackberry yellow vein disease (BYVD) being of major concern in the southeastern United States. BYVD is caused by a combination of viruses, with blackberry yellow vein associated virus (BYVaV) and blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus (BCRV) among the most prevalent species. We developed infectious clones for the two viruses to understand the interaction of BYVaV and BCRV in the etiology of BYVD. We used the sap from BCRV-positive agroinfiltrated plants to perform mechanical transmission experiments, which resulted in the systemic infection of N. benthamiana and N. occidentalis. This work provides the tools to study the biology of both viruses and their interactions, contributing to understanding their roles in the development of BYVD.