First report of tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus and Bemisia tabaci in Portugal
The Plant Protection Service of Portugal has recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) was found for the first time. In late summer 1995, a disease associated with Bemisia tabaci seriously affected tomato crops in Algarve (southern region of Portugal). The disease occurred mainly in glasshouse crops and occasionally in open fields. Autumn crops were the most severely damaged and yield was drastically reduced. Tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus was identified as the causal agent of this disease. The Plant Protection Service noted that, so far, tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus and its vector B. tabaci appear to be limited to the Algarve region. According to the EPPO Secretariat, this is also the first report of B. tabaci in Portugal.
Sources
Plant Protection Service of Portugal, 1996-05.