Antiviral Activity of Banana Extract against Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) Manuscript Number: S-655 NAAS Rating: 5.79 Abstract: Disease of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) caused serious losses on cultivated tomato worldwide. In current study two concentrations of banana fruit extract 10 and 20% were used against tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). The concentration of 20 % was better than 10 % in reduction of disease incidence and disease severity and increase of plant height and leaf area. Both concentrations were significantly better than control. Keywords: Antiviral Activity, Banana fruit extract, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus Abdulkareem Kassim Jabar, Hussein Ali Salim Nihad Aziz Khamas 1 2 * and University of Misan, college of agriculture, Iraq 1 Directorate of Diyala Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Iraq 2 College of Agriculture, University of Diyala, Iraq *E-mail: h_salim11111@yahoo.com Indian Journal of Ecology (2021) 48 Special Issue (15): 341-342 Tomato ( Mill) is an important Lycopersicum esculentum vegetable of the world's population after potatoes (Salim and Jasim 2016). The tomato production is reduced by diseases caused by microorganisms (fungi, bacteria and viruses) (Salim et al 2017, McGovern, 2015). TYLCV is one of the most harmful viral diseases on tomato in tropical and subtropical regions of the world which belong to Gemini virus group, genus of Begomovirus, Geminiviridae family (Moriones and Navas-Castillo 2000). Symptoms of TYLCV appear on infected tomato after several weeks that include marked reduction in leaf size and its margins curl upward, giving cup shape, chlorosis of the leaf, wrinkling of leaves, stunting, flower abscission and significant yield reduction. TYLCV is transmitted by whitefly is persistent Bemisia tabaci and circulative manner and the virus can transmit through the eggs for two generations (Ghanim et al 1997). Many strategies were used for controlling plant viruses, but they not active in reducing or avoiding the virus infections in comparison with active control of fungi and bacteria especially in chemical ways. There is no direct way to control plant viruses to some extent. The demand on antiviral substances is increasing to control plant viruses. Many chemicals can control virus replication and eliminate virus symptoms. There are many compounds were tested as antiviral to control plant viruses, these compounds were produced from plants and other organisms, where applied to the plants before or after inoculation (Waziri 2015). It is necessary to evaluate the new antiviral substances effective on virus, stop virus replication, control the visible symptoms and induction of natural resistance by the host. The need for eco-friendly and inexpensive antiviral substances is increasing. Some of these antiviral substances were isolated from higher plants, algae and lichens (Ebony et al 2009). Many phytochemicals have been identified as virus inhibitors in many types of plants viz. tannin, terpenoids, lignin, alkaloid, peptides, coumarin, flavonoid, protein and polysaccharides (Jassim and Naji 2003). The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of banana extract as antiviral substance against TYLCV. MATERIAL AND METHODS Preparation of samples: The virus isolate (TYLCV-Bsr) was obtained from Dr. Abdulkareem Kassim Jabar, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Misan, which maintained on the susceptible tomato plants under muslin protected cages, the infected tomato plants were used as the source of the virus, whereas the seedlings (cv. Huda) were obtained from Misan nursery, Misan province. Pots experiment: This study was conducted in the greenhouse conditions at University of Misan, Iraq during October 2017- June 2018. Seedlings of the tomato at age 60 days were transplanted into plastic pots (20×20 cm) containing 2 kg of sterilized soil with Peat moss 3:1 under muslin protected cages. The experiment was laid out in a complete randomized design with three treatments included two concentrations of banana extract 10 and 20% and the control plants with five replications. The data was analyzed by SPSS Program. Adults of whiteflies ( ) that virus-free Bemisia tabaci were reared on cotton plants under muslin Gossypium hirstum protected cages (100 × 100 × 100 cm). The 20 adults of whiteflies were given an acquisition feeding period for 24 hrs on infected tomato plants by Tylcv-Bsr in insect proof cages,