As with CMV in narrow-leafed lupins, this is how these viruses survive from one season to the next. Weeds are not important sources of infection under Western Australian conditions. Aphids spread the viruses from the seed-infected plants to healthy plants. They transmit non-persistently so they pick up the viruses rapidly but also lose them rapidly on probing. Although aphids rarely colonise chickpea plants, they still probe them as they move through the crop searching for plants they prefer, spreading the viruses as they go.
Preliminary observations indicate that losses in chickpeas are likely to be similar in Australia.
Symptoms Current season symptom development varies for each virus and between desi and kabuli types. Early infection is the most severe with necrosis sometimes extending throughout the plant resulting in death. Infected plants are stunted, shed their leaves and die prematurely. CMV - Chlorosis of shoot tips, reduction in leaf size and bunching of young leaves are the initial symptoms. Gradual reddening of the leaves then occurs with complete plant reddening in some varieties.