Are tospoviruses a concern in specialty cut flower production?
Tospoviruses are a group of plant viruses that are transmitted by thrips and affect a wide range of host plants, including many specialty cut flower species. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) are the two tospoviruses that are problematic in ornamental crop production. The only way to control tospoviruses is to control their vector, which is the minute insect, thrips. Once a plant is infected, it should be culled and discarded to prevent further spread of the virus. The presence of tospovirus in the lisianthus plants showing the tan lesions was confirmed via the easy-to-use ImmunoStrip Test Kits. Interestingly, nearby plants that did not develop the symptomology were shown to be uninfected via testing. We surmised that the virus was transmitted to several lisianthus seedlings that had been a fed on by infected thrips during plug production in a greenhouse, while neighboring seedlings that were passed over by the thrips in the same plug tray remain
