Arch Virol (2005) 150: 389–397 DOI 10.1007/s00705-004-0399-3 Both Indian cassava mosaic virus and Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus are found in India and exhibit high variability as assessed by PCR-RFLP Brief Report B. L. Patil, S. Rajasubramaniam, C. Bagchi, and I. Dasgupta Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India Received March 31, 2004; accepted July 5, 2004 Published online October 20, 2004 c  Springer-Verlag 2004 Summary. The biodiversity of geminiviruses associated with the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) in India was investigated using PCR to specifically amplify the DNA of Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) or Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV) and also by using PCR to amplify specific viral genes, followed by digestion with different restriction endonucleases to obtain polymorphic patterns (PCR-RFLP). Results showed that both ICMV and SLCMV were present in mosaic-affected cassava; ICMV was geographically restricted to certain regions, whereas SLCMV was widespread. PCR-RFLP analysis showed that, in addition to ICMV-type and SLCMV-type patterns, a high proportion (40%) of the samples displayed novel patterns, some of which were localized in certain areas, whereas others were widely distributed. ∗ Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz, Euphorbiaceae) is grown for its starch- containing tubers, which feed over 500 million people worldwide and is the third most important food crop after cereals and grain legumes [9]. In India it is grown in an area of 2.4 ×10 5 hectares both for direct consumption and the starch grain (Sago)-producing industries, mainly in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The major constraint for cassava production in Africa and the Indian subcontinent [6, 10, 16–18] is the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) caused by viruses included in the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae). The genomes of most geminiviruses are bipartite, termed DNA A and DNA B, the former encodes functions associated with viral replication and encapsidation and the latter encoding the movement functions [5].