Tomato Diseases

Tomato Yellow Leaf

Curl Virus (TYLCV)
Found worldwide

Symptoms Conditions for Disease Development

Plants are severely stunted with shoots becoming erect. The virus is not seed-borne. It is only transmitted by
Leaflets are reduced in size and pucker. Leaflets curl the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, which is commonly found
upwards, become distorted, and have prominent in tropical and sub-tropical regions, and in greenhouses
yellowing along margins and/or interveinal regions. in temperate areas.
Flowers wither.
The whitefly vector has a very wide host range and
Plants will set very few fruit after infection occurs; feeds by sucking plant juices from the underside of
therefore any plants infected before flowering stage will leaves of crops such as tomato, tobacco, cucumber,
produce extremely low yields. The appearance of the sweet potato, as well as some weeds. Adult whiteflies
fruit is unaffected. look like tiny white moths, about 1–2 mm in length.
World Vegetable Center They fly when the leaf is disturbed. The light-colored
eggs are laid on the leaf undersurface and hatch in

How to Identify Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus

Infected plant (left) is yellowing and becoming Leaf curling and erect Leaf curling; yellowing between
stunted as compared to healthy plant (right) growth veins and along margins

Written by Ray Cerkauskas, Visiting Scientist from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Edited by Tom Kalb.
Published by AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center; P.O. Box 42, Shanhua; Taiwan 741; ROC.
tel: (886-6) 583-7801; fax: (886-6) 583-0009; email: [email protected]; web: www.avrdc.org
about 16 to 38 days depending upon environmental The whitefly vector favors the young plants. To
conditions. reduce this effect, tomato plants should be about 30
days old at the time of transplanting. Timing of
The whitefly can acquire the virus after feeding on
transplanting also can be effective for avoiding high
infected plants for 15 to 30 minutes, and can transmit
populations of whitefly and therefore reducing or
the virus to tomato plants after about 24 hours of
preventing TYLCV infection. Avoid overlapping tomato
incubation within the insect. A period of at least 15
crops that allow the vector to subsist and develop new
minutes feeding on the new tomato host is subsequently
populations. Rouging of volunteer tomato and tobacco
required for transmission of the virus. The whitefly retains
plants and weed control are also important to reduce
the virus for up to 20 days and does not transmit it to
sources of virus inoculum.
its progeny. Symptoms develop on young plants after
10 to 14 days. Plant new tomato crops in isolated fields. If feasible,
plant a tall border crop, such as maize, around the
Hot and dry conditions favor the whitefly, and
tomato crop. Use mulches of straw, yellow plastic or
therefore, help the spread of TYLCV. Whitefly
UV-reflective material to reduce landing of whiteflies.
populations decrease after heavy rain showers. Under
normal conditions whiteflies hover above the crop during Spray infected plants with an insecticide before
the day or they are passively wind-driven over long rouging to prevent migration of whitefly vectors to
distances. During the night they settle on the lower neighboring plants. Rouge infected seedlings in the
leaf surfaces. seedbed or infected plants in the field to reduce spread
of the disease by whiteflies. Rouged plants should be
Disease incidence increases rapidly and can reach
placed in plastic bags and tied shut to prevent spread
100% infection at harvest. In the field, disease incidence
of whiteflies.
varies with location rather than with season. Tobacco
is a symptomless host and can therefore serve as a Inter-planting of tomato with ‘bait’ plants such as
source for re-infection of tomato crops. Other hosts for cucumber may be useful for control of this virus but
the virus are weeds such as jimsonweed that can serve other viruses such as CMV may increase in importance.
as a source of inoculum. The ‘bait’ plants are then sprayed with an insecticide.
Chemical control methods include the application
of systemic insecticides as soil drenches or regular
Control sprays during the seedling stage to reduce the
Grow seedlings in an insect-proof nethouse (50-mesh population of the whitefly vector. A second application
size or finer) or in a greenhouse, and maintain good may be necessary to control adults that have emerged
control of whiteflies in these structures in order to prevent from the egg and nymph stage since the application of
early infection of seedlings by whitefly feeding. If non- the first spray. Rotation of insecticides may be
insect-proof nets are used with transplants, then they necessary to prevent the development of resistance in
should be sprayed with insecticides to control entry of the vector. However, chemical control may not be
whitefly into the structures. effective in areas where disease incidence is high.
Other methods include a 1% soap solution carefully
applied to the leaf undersurface to control the adult
vector. Care should be taken to avoid development of
phytotoxicity if spraying occurs during very high
temperatures. Oil sprays may also be effective in
reducing levels of infestation. Neem tree seed extracts
control young nymphs, inhibit the growth and
development of older adults, and reduce egg-laying by
adults.
TYLCV-resistant and tolerant tomato varieties for
some strains of the virus are commercially available.
Confer with the local extension agent to determine which
varieties are suitable in your area.

For more information on the production of

It’s critical to protect tomato seedlings from TYLCV tomato and other vegetables, go to
infection. Exclude whiteflies (actual size 1–2 mm long) <www.avrdc.org>.
using a fine mesh (50-mesh or finer) screen.

AVRDC Publication 04-610

2004