Presence of Soybean Vein Necrosis Orthotospovirus (Tospoviridae: Orthotospovirus) in Pakistan, Pakistani Scientists’ and Farmers’ Perception of Disease Dynamics and Management, and Policy Recommendations to Improve Soybean Production

Soybean vein necrosis orthotospovirus (SVNV: Tospoviridae: Orthotospovirus) is a well-recognized thrips-vectored and seed-borne virus common in the United States (U.S.), Canada, and Egypt. Pakistan started the commercial cultivation of soybeans in the 1970s, when some soybean cultivars were imported from the U.S. to meet the country’s domestic requirement of oil, poultry, animal feed, and forage. A survey of farmers and scientists was conducted in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan to understand perceptions of SVNV in the indigenous Pakistani community. Concurrently, soybean fields were sampled for SVNV presence at the National Agricultural Research Institute in Islamabad, Pakistan. Based upon survey and SVNV detection results through ELISA and qRT-PCR, a policy was developed. Overall, we found that SVNV was present in Islamabad, Pakistan in USDA-approved soybean cultivars. Although scientists knew about general thrips biology and insecticides, knowledge about identification of vectors (Thrips species) was not significantly different between the scientists and the farmers. Scientists at the Islamabad location were more aware of crop production technology and pests. This study reports that Pakistan needs to strengthen its research institutes, scientists’ and farmers’ capacity building, and extension programs to understand the disease complex in soybean crops.