The present invention relates to a method for conveying resistance to beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) to a sugar beet plant, which method comprises the following steps: (a) preparing a DNA fragment consisting of a nucleotide sequence that corresponds to nucleotides 153 to 3258 of the genomic RNA 1 of the beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV); (b) introducing said DNA fragment, operatively linked to a promoter that is active in sugar beet plants, into a sugar beet plant cell to obtain a transformed sugar beet cell; and (c) regenerating a transgenic sugar beet plant from the transformed sugar beet plant cell.