An atlas of plant viruses provides new insights into the diversity and evolution of the plant virome

Plant viruses cause significant damage to crops, yet research on them remains limited, leading to an underestimation of plant viral diversity. This study constructed an up-to-date atlas of plant viruses by integrating data from public databases and further established the Plant Virus Database (PVD, freely available at http://computationalbiology.cn/PlantVirusBase/#/) for storing and organizing these viruses. The PVD contained 3,353 virus species and 9,010 virus-plant host interactions, more than double of those reported in previous studies. Among these, 1,986 viruses are capable of infecting crops. With few exceptions, most plant viruses were observed to infect only a limited number of plant hosts, and vice versa, indicating that the plant virome is still underestimated. Comparative analysis of viromes in monocots and eudicots, as well as plants from tropical and temperate regions, revealed significant differences in virome composition. Analysis of virus host ranges demonstrated that dsDNA viruses exhibit broader host ranges compared to other virus groups. However, biological characteristics such as whether viruses are enveloped, genome size, or transmission mode (horizontal or vertical) showed no or weak associations with the host range of plant viruses. Overall, this study not only provides a valuable resource for further research on plant and crop viruses but also enhances our understanding of the genetic diversity of plant viruses and their interactions with hosts.