Tomato apical stunt viroid detected for the first time on tomatoes in the Netherlands
In May 2011, Tomato apical stunt viroid (Pospiviroid, TASVd – EPPO Alert List) was found for the first time on tomatoes in the Netherlands. The disease was detected in a tomato fruit production glasshouse with heavy damage on plants. The Dutch NPPO recalls that TASVd had been detected for the first time in the Netherlands in 2006 in a sample collected from symptomless Cestrum plants during a survey on pospiviroids in ornamental plants (EPPO RS 2008/010). TASVd was also detected in 2009 in 2 samples of symptomless plants of Lycianthes (=Solanum) rantonnetii and Steptosolen jamesonii (Verhoeven et al., 2010). The origin of this outbreak on tomatoes remains unclear but investigations are being carried out to determine the origin of the planting material and seeds. Because the grower did not use the glasshouse in winter to produce ornamental species, it is unlikely that ornamental Solanaceae were the source of the tomato infection. However, molecular sequence analysis has shown that the TASVd isolates from ornamentals and tomatoes had similar sequences. Phytosanitary measures are being taken to prevent the spread of TASVd to tomato or potato production, pending the outcome of an EFSA PRA on pospiviroids. Specific surveillance has been completed in tomato crops in the vicinity of the infected nursery (visual inspections) and no other infections were reported so far. In the infected nursery, the grower has been advised to destroy the infected tomato plants and to disinfest the glasshouse before the next tomato growing season.
The pest status of Tomato apical stunt viroid in the Netherlands is officially declared as: Present, widespread on Cestrum and Solanum jasminoides, localized on Lycianthes rantonetti. Incidental outbreak in tomato fruit production. Under surveillance.
Sources
NPPO of the Netherlands (2011-06).
Verhoeven JTJ, Botermans M, Jansen CCC, Roenhorst JW (2010) First report of Tomato apical stunt viroid in the symptomless hosts Lycianthes rantonnetii and Streptosolen jamesonii in the Netherlands. Plant Disease 94(6), p 791.