First report of Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid on tomato in France
At the end of 2007, unusual symptoms were observed on glasshouse tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) in Bretagne region, France. Within a group of glasshouses, 20 to 25% of the plants were showing bunchy top, leaf curling and symptoms of epinasty. Molecular analysis (RT-PCR, sequencing) of samples collected from 3 affected plants confirmed the presence of Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid (Pospiviroid, TCDVd). The French TCVDd isolate was closely related to the isolate reported from Canada (EPPO RS 2008/006). Further studies were carried out to trace-back this infection. 2 500 seeds of the original seed lot (from which the infected plants had been grown) were sown and the resulting plants were tested (in batches of 10 plants) for TCDVd. The viroid was detected in 2 out of the 250 batches of plants and the same sequence of the amplified fragment was obtained, indicating a low level of seed transmission. These results suggested that the source of this outbreak was probably infected seeds. This is the first report of TCDVd in France.
Sources
Candresse T, Marais A, Tassus X, Suhard P, Renaudin I, Leguay A, Poliakoff F (2010) First report of Tomato chlorotic dwarf viroid in tomato in France. Plant Disease 94(5), p 633.