First record of Tomato torrado virus in Australia
In October 2008, the presence of Tomato torrado virus was reported for the first time in Australia. The virus was detected in glasshouse tomatoes in the Northern Adelaide Plains of South Australia. Affected tomato plants showed leaf mottling, yellow spotting followed by necrosis at the base of leaflets and in some cases, stem necrosis. But unlike reports from other parts of the world, no fruit symptoms were observed. Although ToTV was first described in 2007 as a virus new to science (see EPPO RS 2007/128), there is evidence that it may have been present in Australia at least since 2005. Similar symptoms had been noticed in 2005 and when preserved samples were tested they were found positive for ToTV. Observations made in South Australia indicated that many commonly grown tomato varieties seemed to be resistant/tolerant to the virus.
The pest status of Tomato torrado virus in Australia is officially declared as: Present, only in protected cultivation, only in some areas.
Sources
International Phytosanitary Portal (IPPC, FAO, Rome)
Detection of Tomato torrado virus in South Australia (report AU-14/1 of 2008-10-10). https://www.ippc.int