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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Viral diseases causing the greatest economic losses to the tomato crop. I. The Tomato spotted wilt virus — a review

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Abstract Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is one of the most important diseases affecting tomatoes, occasionally leading to losses of up to 100%. Because of the importance of this virus disease, considerable research has been carried out in recent years on the viral particle, disease vectors, transmission and control methods. This review presents an account of the current state of research on TSWV with special reference to tomato. Genetic resistance appears as the best solution to control this disease. It may be complemented with other strategies of control aimed to reduce inoculum amount or to avoid transmission, since these strategies have been shown to be ineffective to stop the disease in themselves. Efforts should be made to study virus variability, since this would help the development of TSWV resistant tomato varieties as well as the establishment of more precise diagnostic methods for TSWV.