Metagenomic analyses and genetic diversity of Tomato leaf curl Arusha virus affecting tomato plants in Kenya.

Background: Tomato production is threatened worldwide by the occurrence of begomoviruses which are associated with tomato leaf curl diseases. There is little information on the molecular properties of tomato begomoviruses in Kenya, hence we investigated the population and genetic diversity of begomoviruses associated with tomato leaf curl in Kenya.

Methods: Tomato leaf samples with virus-like symptoms were obtained from farmers' field across the country in 2018 and Illumina sequencing undertaken to determine the genetic diversity of associated begomoviruses.