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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #135018
Title: Winter and early-spring survey of thrips vectors and host plants of tomato spotted wilt tospovirus in and near a flue-cured tobacco farmscape

Author
item MCPHERSON, R - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item BESHEAR, R - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Johnson, Wiley - Carroll
item MARTINEZ-OCHOA, N - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item WELLS, M - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Submitted to: Journal of Entomological Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2003
Publication Date: 10/2/2003
Citation: Mcpherson, R.M., Beshear, R.J., Johnson, W.C., Martinez-Ochoa, N., Wells, M.L. 2003. Winter and early-spring survey of thrips vectors and host plants of tomato spotted wilt tospovirus in and near a flue-cured tobacco farmscape. Journal of Entomological Science. 38(4):660-668.

Interpretive Summary: Spotted wilt, causal agent tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV), is a costly disease of flue-cured tobacco and vectored by the tobacco thrips and the western flower thrips. Understanding the role of these weeds, thrips vectors, and the virus is fundamental to understanding the epidemiology of spotted wilt disease in the southeastern coastal plain. Studies were conducted from 1998 to 2001 to examine the presence of thrips on plants commonly found in the tobacco farmscape. Weed hosts were sampled from December through April each year to assess which plants provide refuge and nutrients for thrips survival, reproduction, and spotted wilt infection. Wild radish, broom sedge, narrowleaf vetch, cutleaf eveningprimrose, and volunteer soybean were commonly found in the farmscape and harbored TSWV thrips vectors. Other weed hosts present in the tobacco farmscape either had no thrips collected from them or the thrips species were not confirmed as potential TSWV vectors. Other plants surrounding the tobacco farmscape were monitored and common chickweed, carrot, and flowering dogwood had thrips vectors collected from them. Henbit, wild radish, cutleaf eveningprimrose, narrowleaf vetch, carrot, curly dock, red sorrel, and common chickweed were confirmed alternate hosts for TSWV based on immunological tests. The tobacco thrips appears to be the most abundant thrips vector collected on these alternate plant hosts and is also the predominate thrips species collected on flue-cured tobacco. However, other confirmed spotted wilt vectors were collected from the tobacco farmscape, including the western flower thrips. It appears that the several common weed hosts in the farmscape are influential as refuge and nutrient sources for thrips vectors and an inoculant source for TSWV.

Technical Abstract: Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) is an economic pest of flue-cured tobacco due to its ability to vector tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV). Other species of thrips are also vectors of TSWV in tobacco, including F. occidentalis (Pergrande). This study examined the presence of thrips species on the alternate plant hosts associated with the tobacco farmscape. Weed hosts were sampled from December through April, from 1998 to 2001, to assess which plants provide refuge and nutrients for thrips survival, reproduction, and spotted wilt infection. Thrips were identified to species and confirmed as potential vectors of TSWV by using ELISA to test for the presence of a nonstructural TSWV protein. Wild radish, broom sedge, and narrowleaf vetch are common late-winter weeds in the farmscape that harbor TSWV thrips vectors. Cutleaf eveningprimrose and volunteer soybean also contained TSWV vectors. Other weed hosts present in the tobacco farmscape either had no thrips collected from them or thrips were not confirmed as potential TSWV vectors. Other plants near the tobacco farmscape were monitored and three of these host plants, common chickweed, carrot, and flowering dogwood had confirmed potential vectors collected from them. Henbit, wild radish, cutleaf eveningprimrose, narrowleaf vetch, carrot, curly dock, red sorrel, and common chickweed were confirmed hosts for TSWV. F. fusca appears to be the most abundant thrips vector on these alternate plant hosts and is also the predominate thrips species collected on flue-cured tobacco. However, F. occidentalis, Haplothrips graminis Hood, and Chirothirps spp. were also confirmed potential vectors collected from the tobacco farmscape. It appears that the weed hosts in the farmscape are influential as refuge and nutrient sources for vectors and an inoculant source for TSWV in the flue-cured tobacco farmscape.