Abstract:
As a valuable traditional Chinese medicinal material,
Paris polyphylla var.
Yunnanensis encountered in recent years. outbreaks of viral diseases that severely hampered the crop yield and quality. To tackle the problem, existing studies aimed mostly to identify the possibly numerous viruses that infected the plant. The application of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technology has accelerated the search. In 2007 a virus was first reported, and from 2018 and 2025 more than 20 species were documented being pathogenic to the plant. The diverse viruses distribute widely across 12 families and 14 genera. They were predominantly
Potyviuses, due possibly to their exception adaptivity and/or transmission ability on the host plants. This article summarizes the history and current status, highlighting the urgent need for studies on viral biological characteristics, epidemic risks, and hazard assessment. Prospective directions for further research are presented, including identification of key pathogenic viruses, characterization of viral biological properties, mixed infection mechanisms, development of rapid detection technologies, and effective disease prevention and control.