Cassava mosaic virus is one of the most economically important threats to cassava-growing regions. Over the years, several different species of viruses have been identified and shown to possess the ability infecting cassava in various countries, such as India, Africa, and South America.
Cassava mosaic virus is a member of the geminiviruses family and is transmitted in a persistent manner; whitefly adults feed on infected plants for more than a couple of minutes, sometimes hours. After the uptake, the virus has to circulate in the adult whitefly before it can infect healthy plants. In other words, the virus is acquired and transmitted by its vector in long periods of time that are measured in hours. Other than adult whiteflies, the spread occurs due to contaminated planting materials and occasionally by mechanical means.
Whiteflies are attracted to new foliage and colonize them quickly. A single whitefly contracted with the virus only needs about 10 minutes of feeding time to infect young leaves. When multiple infected whiteflies feed on a plant, the chances of the plant acquiring the disease are significantly higher.