Recent research by Italian scientists published in the journal Entomologia Generalis has found that the Tuta absoluta pest, which plagues tomato crops in the Mediterranean basin, can transmit the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV). This finding represents a significant advance in understanding how this virus, which has been a growing threat to the world's tomato crops since 2014 and also affects peppers and other Solanaceae, spreads.
The tomato, one of the most important vegetable crops with a global production of more than 186 million tons, is under constant pressure from pests capable of transmitting plant pathogens.
ToBRFV is one of the most important threats to tomato cultivation worldwide. Its transmission occurs mainly through contact between infected plants and surfaces, and there's only been one known case of mechanical transmission by arthropods (by bumblebees at the time of pollination). It is classified as a seed-borne virus.
However, it is transmitted by direct contact between plants, including propagation material, through small wounds on transplant seedlings, via infected sap that contaminates different surfaces. When the research started, there was no scientific evidence of arthropods transmitting ToBRFV, except for bumblebees. Thus, researchers decided to check if Tuta absoluta, a key pest in tomato cultivation, can transmit the virus, as its host range mainly includes solanaceous species and it lays its eggs on a wide range of wild and cultivated plants from other families.
Research by the Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA) in Italy has shown that adult moths of Tuta absoluta that have grown on infected plants can carry the virus on their surface and transmit it to healthy plants if they have contact with any wounds in the latter.
This finding suggests that Tuta absoluta could play a crucial role in the ToBRFV's spread between crops and throughout crop cycles, especially in protected cropping systems common in the Mediterranean basin. It also raises questions about the role of the pest's natural enemies in virus transmission and the need to adapt integrated pest management strategies to control Tuta absoluta and ToBRFV simultaneously.
Source: infoagro.com