2 public questions tagged with this topic.
T. O. Diener discovered the viroid in 1971 while studying potato spindle tuber disease. The infectious agent was smaller than viruses and consisted of low-molecular-weight RNA without a protein coat.
Ref: NCERT Class 11 Biology Chapter 2: Biological Classification Viruses Viroids Prions and Lichens
The NCERT textbook highlights a critical discovery by 'T.O. Diener in 1971'. He isolated a completely new type of infectious agent that was significantly smaller than a standard virus. It uniquely caused 'potato spindle tuber disease'. Because this agent consisted solely of free, naked RNA and completely lacked the standard protective protein coat (capsid) found in viruses, Diener appropriately named it a 'viroid'.
Ref: NCERT Class 11 Biology > Chapter 2: Biological Classification > 2.6 Viruses, Viroids, Prions and Lichens
