– BBTV is transmitted by the banana aphid and is a major threat to banana growing regions. Plants that are infected may show symptoms of “bunched” leaves at the top of the plant and new leaves may have difficulty emerging. Plants with symptoms often do not produce fruit and serve as a source of inoculum for aphids to feed on and spread the pathogen. (College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Plant Disease Dec. 1997 PD-12).
AmplifyRP® XRT for BBTV is a real-time isothermal amplification and detection platform designed for field-based or laboratory testing of banana crops for Banana bunchy top virus.
The test can be performed virtually anywhere using the battery operated AmpliFire fluorometer. Assay parameters are loaded via barcode and results are automatically displayed as ( + ) or ( – ). Prior molecular diagnostic experience is not required to perform AmplifyRP XRT tests.