Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus Spain Strain Is Not Transmitted by <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i> and Is Inefficiently Transmitted by <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> Mediterranean between Zucchini and the Wild Cucurbit <i>Ecballium elaterium</i>

oleh: Alessia Farina, Carmelo Rapisarda, Elvira Fiallo-Olivé, Jesús Navas-Castillo

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-04-01

Deskripsi

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) is a bipartite begomovirus (genus <i>Begomovirus</i>, family <i>Geminiviridae</i>) persistently transmitted, as with all other begomoviruses, by whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) of the <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> cryptic species complex. The virus, originally from the Indian subcontinent, was recently introduced in the Mediterranean basin, where it is currently a major concern for protected and open-field horticulture. The Mediterranean ToLCNDV isolates belong to a novel strain named “Spain strain” (ToLCNDV-ES), which infects zucchini and other cucurbit crops but is poorly adapted to tomato. Recently, it has been reported that another whitefly, <i>Trialeurodes vaporariorum</i>, is able to transmit an isolate of ToLCNDV from India which infects the chayote plant, a cucurbit. The present work aimed to clarify some aspects of whitefly transmission of ToLCNDV-ES. It was shown that <i>T. vaporariorum</i> is not able to transmit ToLCNDV-ES between zucchini plants. In addition, <i>Ecballium elaterium</i> may not act as a relevant reservoir for this virus strain in the Mediterranean basin, as <i>B. tabaci</i> Mediterranean (MED), the most prevalent species of the complex in the region, is not an efficient vector of this begomovirus between cultivated zucchini and wild <i>E. elaterium</i> plants.