First report of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus in Brassica napus
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (Tobamovirus fructirugosum, ToBRFV – EPPO A2 List) is a virus that primarily affects solanaceous plants, in particular tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and capsicum (Capsicum sp.). Inoculation experiments have shown it can infect Nicotiana sp. and that wild weeds can be infected and may act as reservoirs. However, recently, ToBRFV has been found to naturally infect non-solanaceous plants, including chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum, Asteraceae) and mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata, Polygonaceae) (EPPO RS 2025/206, RS 2025/252).
In October 2024, ToBRFV was identified as the causative agent of virus-like symptoms including leaf wrinkles and interveinal chlorosis in rapeseed plants (Brassica napus) growing in a field in Shandong Province, China. This is the first report of ToBRFV natural infection in B. napus. The identity of the pathogen was confirmed by molecular testing and Koch’s postulates were confirmed. In May 2024, in the same field, tomato plants showing mild leaf curling and severe fruit deformation had been confirmed to be infected with ToBRFV by molecular testing. The source of infection for the B. napus plants remains unclear, however the authors suggest that crop rotation without effective field sanitation may facilitate transmission across-plant families. B. napus is widely planted in China and often rotated with tomato.
Sources
Lu M, Lu J, Chen J, Ding T, Cao Y, Liang Y, Rao S, Li J, Song X (2025) First field report of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) naturally infecting rapeseed (Brassica napus) in China. Plant Disease (early view) https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-07-25-1532-PDN