Image source : Agriculture Victoria
A new tomato brown rugose fruit virus has been detected on Portuguese territory, thanks to the National Plant Protection Organization of Portugal ( Tobamovirus, ToBRFV – EPPO A2 List ). NPPO intimated EPPO Secretariat regarding the detection of this virus. In August 2021, an official survey of nurseries in the county of Tavira and the city of Faro in the Algarve region revealed the presence of the virus.
Tomato seeds (Solanum lycopersicum) from China (in the case of Tavira) and Israel (in the case of Faro) were found to contain the virus. Plantlets have been produced from some of the seeds. A variety of eradication measures are being applied in both cases, including testing of other host plants in the nursery, as well as disinfecting the polyhouse and associated equipment.
Plants grown from infested lots present in the nurseries, as well as seeds that had not been used, have been destroyed. In order to retrieve the plants that had already been sold to other operators, trace-forward studies are conducted.
In Portugal, tomato brown rugose fruit virus is designated as a pest as follows: Transient, actionable, under eradication.
