Tospoviruses are now emerging as the cause of major disease problems of pepper in the Asian region. Some, including myself, would argue that these viruses have been around for more than a decade but have been difficult to confirm due to their complex nature as well as their symptoms, which are often difficult to confirm in plants with mixed infections of potyviruses and begomoviruses. Chilli pepper are hosts to over 12 different diseases in the region of which more than half are due to insect-borne viruses. In this post I’ve included a photo which is typical of a tospoviruses infection of chilli pepper, of which there are a few, where symptoms are evident emanating from the stem region of the older leaf. Note that symptoms on the youngest leaves are often difficult to discern, if at all, which typifies the disease. You can also see the symptoms on the stem of the fruit. This particular plant have multiple virus infections including CVMV.
Tospoviruses in chilli pepper
