author(s)
Jandrajupalli Sridhar, Neelam Kumari, Vallepu Venkateswarlu, Anuj Bhatnagar, Kamlesh Malik, Sanjeev Sharma and SK Chakrabarti

abstract
Vector borne viral diseases cause huge economic losses to many agricultural and horticultural crops across the world including India. More than forty aphid vectors are reported to infest potato globally including Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas) of which Myzus persicae (Sulzer) has been referred as most efficient vector of viruses. Among viruses, Potato virus Y^o (PVY^o) and Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) are very significant in potato in India and are mainly transmitted by M. persicae and Aphis gossypii Glover. However, systematic investigation on occurrence of M. euphorbiae and its association in transmission of PVY^o and PLRV is yet to be determined in India. Hence, monitoring of M. euphorbiae in different potato growing regions of Shimla hills and its viruliferous nature pertinent to PVY^o and PLRV has been addressed here. The species identity was confirmed using mitochondrial COI gene markers and 99% similarity with reported sequences of database. Among the total samples of M. euphorbiae, 42, 40, 38, 30, 30 and 19% were found to be viruliferous to PVY^o and 32, 26, 20, 23, 15 and 14% for PLRV from Bemloe, Kanlog, Beakalty, Kufri, Gallu and Fagu respectively. In general, the incidence of PVY^o was more than PLRV in Shimla hills. The present study confirmed the occurrence of M. euphorbiae on potato and its viruliferous nature to PVY^o and PLRV in Shimla hills. Very interestingly, it was also found that M. euphorbiae could carry simultaneously multiple virus infection i.e. non–persistently PVY^o and Persistently PLRV.