Bemisia tabaci, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, and Tomato chlorosis virus are present in Alentejo, Portugal
In Portugal, Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae – EPPO A2 List) and two of the viruses it can transmit (Tomato yellow leaf curl virus and Tomato chlorosis virus, both EPPO A2 List) were previously only found in the Algarve region (south of the country). In Algarve, B. tabaci and TYLCV were first observed in 1995 (see EPPO RS 96/112) and ToCV in 1998 (EPPO RS 2000/154). In July 2005, a disease outbreak occurred in tomato fields near Campo Maior (Alentejo region). Affected plants showed leaf curling, rolling, brittleness, yellowing and growth reduction and high populations of B. tabaci were also observed in this area which was previously free from it. Thirteen samples were collected and tested for the presence of TYLCV and ToCV. All were found infected by TYLCV and 7 were also infected by ToCV. This is the first time that B. tabaci, TYLCV and ToCV are reported from outdoor crops in Alentejo, thus indicating their spread towards the north.
The situation of Bemisia tabaci, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, and Tomato chlorosis virus, in Portugal can be described as follows: Present in Algarve and Alentejo.
Sources
Louro D, Trenado HP, Fortes IM, Navas-Castillo J (2007) Spread of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus and Tomato chlorosis virus to a new area in Portugal following the northern expansion of the vector Bemisia tabaci. Journal of Plant Pathology 89(2), p 301.