Detection of specific strain(s) of cassava mosaic virus affect Zimbabwean cassava using the Oxford Nanopore MinION

Cassava Mosaic Virus (CMV) reduces cassava yield, but CRISPR/Cas9 can be used to induce viral tolerance in plants. Little to no information is readily available on strains of CMV on Zimbabwean cassava and this makes it difficult for researchers to use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to induce viral tolerance in cassava plants. The project’s aim was to identify specific strain/s of CMV which affect cassava in Zimbabwe. DNA was extracted and sequenced using a Oxford Nanopore MinION. DNA reads obtained were demultiplexed using Porechop and analysed using Geneoius. Results obtained indicated the presence of specific strains of CMV affecting Zimbabwean cassava and this is crucial in designing CRISPR/Cas9 constructs to target CMV in cassava plants.