Etiology of Tomato Plant Decline in the California Desert

Tomato plant decline (TPD) has been a limiting factor in the production of fresh market tomatoes in the desert areas of California since 1977. Diseased plants are characterized by stunting, leaf rolling, and leaflet chlorosis. The disease occurs only in fields with a history of previous tomato crops and can reduce yields by as much as 80%. Although TPD is known to be soilborne, the cause of the disease has not been determined until now. Tomatoes grown at 14 C in soil collected from a field with a history of TPD became infected with a tombusvirus that was serologically indistinguishable from the BS-3 strain of tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) (...)