Investigating plant viruses present in alternative tubers

As the public interest in newly imported tubers, such as oca, yacon, or Jerusalem artichoke, continues to grow, new niche opportunities are emerging for growers. However, these introduced crops also present a potential phytosanitary risk, particularly the possibility of introducing new viruses to new hosts. Although reports of high-throughput sequencing in these crops are limited, existing studies highlight its value for rapid plant virus detection. This study assesses the viral diversity present in several exotic tuber crops (oca, yacon, Chinese artichoke and Jerusalem artichoke) in propagation material available to individual growers in Ireland.