Don’t Take Chances With Chino Del Tomate Virus

Photo courtesy of Semena.org

Photo courtesy of Semena.org

Crops Affected

This virus has a relatively wide host range, which includes beans, peppers, tomatoes, as well as malvaceous and solanaceous weeds.

Advertisement

Identification

The chino del tomate virus (CdTV) was first reported in tomato fields in Sinaloa, Mexico, during the 1970-1971 season. The disease now occurs in parts of Northern Mexico and the Southeast U.S. On tomato, the CdTV virus is characterized curling (chino) and rolling of leaves. In addition, a bright to subdued interveinal yellow mosaic of newly infected leaves and purpling of older leaves are all typical symptoms of this disease. Symptoms also may appear similar to tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV).

Top Articles
Have a Plan For Climate Change? Why Fruit Growers Need To Act Now

Plants can be severely stunted and distorted if infected at an early stage, and dramatically reduced fruit set typically results from early infection.
In pepper plants, the symptoms are a mild mottle and mild leaf distortion whereas TYLCV does not cause symptoms in pepper plants.

Survival And Spread

Like other geminiviruses, chino del tomate is transmitted in a persistent manner by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, especially the B biotype. How long whiteflies remain infective is not well defined, but appears to be at least seven days.
Peak transmission of the disease occurs when whitefly populations are high. Whiteflies can acquire the virus from nearby infected plants and transmit it to healthy tomatoes, sometimes resulting in up to 100% of the plants becoming infected. Mechanical transmission of the disease has not been demonstrated nor does it appear to be transmitted by seed.

Management Methods

The overall whitefly population begins with low numbers early in the season and increases as the season progresses unless reduced by unfavorable weather or breaks in the crop cycle. Cultural practices, such as the adoption of crop-free periods where possible and rouging infected plants, should be incorporated into a control strategy to help reduce the likelihood of the whiteflies developing resistance to insecticides.

In addition, create and lengthen crop-free periods through early termination and late planting of crops, rapidly remove crop residues following harvest, and practice field sanitation during the fallow period.

Use neonicotinoid insecticides in the field only during the first six weeks of the crop, thus leaving a neonicotinoid-free period at the end of the crop. Drench applications work best.
As control of whitefly nymphs diminishes following soil drenches of the neonicotinoid insecticide, use rotations of insecticides of other chemical classes.
Use selective rather than broad-spectrum control products where possible to conserve natural enemies and enhance biological control. Use biorational insecticides, such as insecticidal soaps, oils, and insect growth regulators, to suppress whiteflies while preserving beneficial insects.
Tomato breeding lines derived from crosses with Lycopersicum pimpinefolium, which show tolerance to tomato yellow leaf curl virus appear to be tolerant to infections by CdTV.

0