Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Plant Pathology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #316627

Title: Emerging tomato viruses in Florida

Author
item BADILLO-VARGAS, ISMAEL - University Of Florida
item BAKER, CARLYE - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item FRANTZ, GALEN - Glades Crop Care
item MELLINGER, H - Glades Crop Care
item FUNDERBURK, JOE - University Of Florida
item Adkins, Scott

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) causes crop losses worldwide. This tospovirus is well-known for disease epidemics in vegetable, ornamental and peanut crops in the southeastern U.S. Two other tospoviruses have recently emerged in south Florida. Groundnut ringspot virus (GRSV) was first detected in tomato in late 2009 and subsequently in pepper, tomatillo and eggplant. Tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) was detected in tomato in 2012, and subsequently in pepper. The host and geographic ranges of GRSV and TCSV have continued to expand. During surveys for tospoviruses in 2013 and 2014, fresh market tomato plants were observed with necrosis of leaves, petioles and stems, and necrotic rings or spots on fruits in south Florida. No TSWV, GRSV or TCSV was detected in these symptomatic tomato plants. Mechanical inoculation of tomato plants with symptomatic field tissue reproduced symptoms originally observed. Sequence analysis of replicase protein 1a, movement protein and coat protein genes indicated the presence of a virus that was most closely related to, but distinct from, Tulare apple mosaic virus and other subgroup 2 ilarviruses. Less identity was observed with subgroup 1 ilarviruses previously reported to infect tomato. These results indicate that virus-like symptoms observed in tomato in Florida since fall 2013 are caused by a novel subgroup 2 ilarvirus, for which the name Tomato necrotic streak virus (TomNSV) is proposed.