Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an oilseed crop that contributes to food security and generates income for farmers in Africa. Unfortunately, this crop is susceptible to a wide range of viral foliar diseases reported across West Africa, including in Burkina Faso, and these diseases can result in substantial yield losses. Preliminary data indicate the presence of a complex of virus species. However, these data are outdated. The epidemiology of these viral diseases remains poorly understood, which hinders the development of appropriate control measures to reduce yield losses. This study aims to assess farmers' knowledge of peanut viral diseases, document the foliar viral diseases present, and identify the main viral species involved. To this end, surveys were conducted with farmers in two agro-climatic zones of Burkina Faso during 2022 and 2023. Field surveys and symptomatic peanut sample collection were then carried out in the farmers' fields. DNA libraries were prepared after reverse transcription of RNA extracted from the collected samples. These libraries were then analysed using Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing. The results showed that farmers were aware of several viral diseases, the most frequently cited being peanut bud necrosis/spotted wilt disease (13.22%; n = 176) and rosette disease (12.47%; n = 166). The symptoms of the diseases reported by the farmers were also observed in their fields, the most frequent being peanut clump disease (55.99%) and yellow leaf spot disease (55.6%) during the field surveys. Molecular and bioinformatic analyses revealed 11 viral genera across multiple families, with the Tospoviridae family being the most predominant. This study has improved our understanding of peanut diseases in Burkina Faso and highlights the need to continue molecular characterisation of the virus species associated with these diseases in order to develop effective control strategies.