Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Hopefully Not Spreading North
By Michelle Fabio
California tomato growers have long had to deal with Tomato Spot Wilted Virus (TSWV), but a new potential threat has been uncovered in the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) coming up from Mexico, according to Bob Gilbertson, a University of California, Davis plant pathologist at the annual meeting of the California Tomato Growers Association’s (CTGA).
Both viruses are spread through insects and can greatly diminish yield and quality of tomato production.
Found in March 2007 in southeastern California, TYLCV is primarily in northern Mexico. As of now it hasn’t spread into California’s major tomato production areas, but because of the potential for disastrous effects, Gilbertson warns that preventative measures are necessary.
“Whitefly is spreading this virus very effectively,” Gilbertson says. “It’s a devastating virus, one of the worst tomato viruses in the world. With early infections you can get yields losses of 100 percent.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is currently undertaking quarantine efforts, but tomato growers are advised to watch their own tomatoes, particularly if transplants have come from southern California.
For more information, see Researchers hoping new tomato virus does not move north
