Tobacco Mosaic Virus (55x90cm)

A “Tobacco Mosaic Virus” (55×90 cm) educational chart illustrates the structure, characteristics, and infection cycle of TMV, making it an essential resource for plant pathology and virology instruction.​

Chart Features and Content

Size and Material: Measures 55×90 cm, printed in full color, and usually laminated or art-paper mounted for regular classroom use.​

Structure of TMV:

Depicts TMV as a rigid, rod-shaped (filamentous) virus, approximately 300 nm long and 18 nm in diameter, composed of a helical protein capsid enclosing single-stranded RNA (ssRNA).​

The capsid consists of 2130 identical protein subunits (capsomeres), each forming a spiral around the RNA genome (about 6395 nucleotides).​

Biological and Pathological Features:

TMV primarily infects tobacco and other Solanaceae plants (e.g., tomato, potato, pepper), causing the characteristic “mosaic” mottling and discoloration of leaves, stunted growth, and yield loss.​

The chart identifies mechanical transmission as the main infection route (tools, handling, plant contact), as the virus is extremely robust—surviving for years outside the host.​

Symptoms are visually represented; leaf patterns, distortion, and color patches are commonly indicated.

Infection Cycle and Replication:

Shows entry via wounds, followed by viral RNA release, hijacking of plant cell machinery, and viral protein replication.​

Movement proteins and plasmodesmata aid spread between plant cells; the virus migrates through the phloem to infect the whole plant.​

Educational Value:

Clearly labeled diagrams explain core concepts like structure, genome, transmission, and the plant’s visible responses.

Suitable for secondary, college, or university-level plant sciences, and for agricultural extension.​

This chart enables students to visually identify TMV, understand its molecular biology, and appreciate plant-virus interactions crucial for crop protection.​