Insect-transmitted viral diseases infecting tomato crops

Description

Many viruses transmitted by insects cause great damage to tomato crops in the field and in the greenhouse, seriously damaging tomato production in many regions of the globe. Management of insect transmitted tomato viruses is a race between the emergence of new viruses coupled with the proliferation of quickly adapting vectors and strategies that include physical and chemical protection from insects and development of virus-tolerant crops. The major insect-transmitted viruses infecting tomato are described in detail in this chapter, including viruses transmitted by aphids, thrips, whitefly and leafhoppers. The chapter explores the potential of technologies such as genetic engineering to combat insect-transmitted viruses and suggests future trends for research in this area.

Table of contents

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Viruses transmitted by aphids
• 3 Transmission by thrips: tomato spotted wilt virus
• 4 Transmission of Begomoviruses by the tobacco whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)
• 5 Transmission of RNA viruses by whiteflies
• 6 Viruses spread by leafhoppers
• 7 Genetics tools to control viral infestation of tomatoes
• 8 Future trends and conclusion
• 9 Where to look for further information
• 10 References