Relationship between Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Viruses and the Whitefly Vector
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Date
2010
Authors
Ssekyewa C.
Van Damme P.
Nagawa F.
Kyamanywa S.
Steele K. A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journals Online
Abstract
Tomato yellow leaf curl is prevalent in tomato growing districts of Uganda. The disease is known
to be spread by a whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in a persistent manner. Some of its symptoms are leaf curl,
marginal leaf yellowing, malformation of fruits, stunting and dieback (in case of primary infection at early
seedling stage), so the disease is economically important. Therefore, this study delved into the relationship
between the disease and the vector in selected agro-ecosystems in the Country. The influence of weather and
seasonality on the incidence of the disease and the vector was also investigated through a series of field
experiments across a period of two years. New methods for trapping the vector were developed and applied to
estimate its populations on individual plants and in the overall field environment. The findings were that
whereas incidence of the disease is low at seedling stage, the whitefly population is highest at this stage. It was
also found that the vector population is favoured by drought, so rainy conditions reduced it tremendously.
Description
Keywords
Agro-ecosystem, Traps, Population dynamics, Management