Over the last decade, viral metagenomic studies have resulted in the discovery of thousands of previously unknown viruses. These studies are likely to play a pivotal role in obtaining an accurate and robust understanding of how viruses affect the stability and productivity of ecosystems. Among the metagenomics-based approaches that have been developed since the beginning of the 21st century, shotgun metagenomics applied specifically to virion-associated nucleic acids (VANA) has been used to disentangle the diversity of the viral world. We summarize herein the results of 24 VANA-based studies, focusing on plant and insect samples conducted over the last decade (2010-2020). Collectively, viruses from 85 different families were reliably detected in these studies, including capsid-less RNA viruses that replicate in fungi, oomycetes and plants. Finally, strengths and weaknesses of the VANA approach are summarized and perspectives of applications in detection, epidemiological surveillance, environmental monitoring and ecology of plant viruses are provided.