Characterization of Two Novel Single-Stranded RNA Viruses from , the Causal Agent of Peanut Stem Rot.

Peanut stem rot is a soil-borne disease caused by . It occurs widely and seriously affects the peanut yield in most peanut-producing areas. The mycoviruses that induce the hypovirulence of some plant pathogenic fungi are potential resources for the biological control of fungal diseases in plants. Thus far, few mycoviruses have been found in . In this study, two mitoviruses, namely, Agroathelia rolfsii mitovirus 1 (ArMV1) and Agroathelia rolfsii mitovirus 2 (ArMV2), were identified from the weakly virulent strain GP3-1, and they were also found in other isolates. High amounts of ArMV1 and ArMV2in the mycelium could reduce the virulence of strains. This is the first report on the existence of mitoviruses in . The results of this study may provide insights into the classification and evolution of mitoviruses in and enable the exploration of the use of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents for the control of peanut stem rot.