Tomato Spotted Wilt / Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus
Tomato Spotted Wilt/Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus
Key Features
- Leaf yellowing/ mottling
- Spots w/ concentric rings
- Dead spots
Symptoms
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) and Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) symptoms are viruses that are vectored by flower-feeding thrips. Symptoms range from yellow to dead spots, mosaics (mixed yellow and green leaf sections), mottles (spotted yellow and green leaf sections), and crinkling of leaves.
Biology
TSWV/INSV is introduced into landscapes through thrips-infested or virus-infected plants. This virus is spread within a landscape when thrips larvae feed on the infected plant before maturing and feeding on a healthy plant. Iris yellow spot virus is in the same family of viruses and is included here.
Management Recommendations
Ensure all plants are free of thrips and virus symptoms before introducing them into the landscape. Observe host plants for a week after planting; newly infected plants will take around 5 days to develop symptoms. Remove all symptomatic plants and keep thrips populations low. Infected perennials that return in the spring serve as a reservoir of virus.
Effective Pesticides
Pesticides are neither available nor recommended for managing this disease.
Resources
