Tomato yellow leaf curl virus found on tomatoes in north Florida and south Georgia (US)
In summer 1997, tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus (TYLCV - EPPO A2 quarantine pest) was first reported in USA, in south Florida (see EPPO RS 97/169). During October 1998, symptoms characteristic of TYLCV were observed in tomato fields in Gadsen County (north Florida) and in Decatur Country (south Georgia). Observed symptoms included plant stunting, reduction in leaf size, yellow leaf margins and mottling. TYLCV was specifically identified in symptomatic tomato samples. Whiteflies were collected from the same fields in Georgia and Florida, and were identified as Bemisia tabaci (EPPO A2 quarantine pest), but the biotype was not established. This is the first report of TYLCV in north Florida and in Georgia.
Sources
Momol, T. (1999) Tomato yellow leaf curl virus on tomato in north Florida and south Georgia.
University of Florida Pest Alert WWW site, 1999-04-03
http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/pestalert/tmm-0304.htm