Tomato - Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRV)

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)

Tomato Rough and Brown Fruit Virus

Alert: formidable emerging tobamovirus, reported in February 2020 for the first time in France, in Finistère.

Countries where the virus has been reported from 2014 : Mediterranean Basin (Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Palestine); America (Mexico, United States); Europe (Germany, Italy in Sicily and Piedmont, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Greece, Spain and now locally in France ), Asia (China).
Host plants : tomato, chilli and pepper, eggplant to be confirmed.
Symptoms on tomato :
- Leaflets and leaves : vein yellowing, chlorosis, mottling, mosaic; various leaf deformations (figures 1 and 2),
- Calyxes and flower peduncles : necrotic lesions,
- Fruits : irregular ripening, yellow or brown spots, the surface roughness that gives the virus its name is rarely observed; deformations and irregular maturation,
- Symptoms of discoloration (Figures 3 and 4) comparable to those caused by TMV , ToMV , TSWV and PepMV . The intensity of symptoms can vary depending on the tomato variety.
Symptoms on chilli pepper :
- Leaflets and leaves : mosaics and leaf swellings,
- Peduncle : necrosis,
- Fruit : irregular ripening, sometimes rough yellow or brown spots and stripes, necrosis.
Potential sources of introduction : seeds, plants, fruits, tools and materials, recycled growing media, polluted beehives and pollinators, people (employees and visitors), etc.
Transmission : quickly and easily via seeds and by direct contact (between plants, workers' hands and tools, clothing, pollinating insects, birds, irrigation water); during pruning, grafting ...
Storage : very stable virus which can be stored for several months to several years on various media.
Additional information : Resistance to TMV and ToMV, other tomato tobamoviruses, has no effect on ToBRFV.

Measures to be taken preventively and in the event of an emergency

No curative control method can effectively control ToBRFV. An infected plant will remain so for its entire life.

Check the sanitary quality of seeds, plants and fruits. Since 2019, a European implementing decision (2019/1615) establishes emergency measures to prevent the introduction and spread of ToBRFV for seeds and plants. Find out about the origin of the batches and avoid the origins of areas already contaminated by the virus.
Respect the GSPP (Good Seed and Plant Practices) procedures which largely ensure a reduction in the risk of viruses and bacteria transmitted by simple contact ( www.gspp.eu ).
Use seed tested free from ToBRFV by an officially recognized method.
Inspect crops regularly.
Make staff aware that pruning and any handling of plants is a major factor in the transmission of ToBRFV.
Make staff aware of the recognition of symptoms, and the need to wear disposable protective equipment (coveralls, gloves, cap, overshoes, etc.) and dedicated to a restricted area (compartment, greenhouse, tunnel, etc.) parcel). Make this equipment available.
Install functional footbaths at the entrances to each greenhouse and cell that serve either as nurseries or for production. Fill them sufficiently with disinfectant solution throughout the cultivation period.
Enter crops with clean clothes.
Limit cultivation visits as much as possible. If visits take place, do not enter the crops, stay in the aisles.
Discourage workers from bringing and consuming tomatoes from outside the farm for their meals, as they can introduce the virus.
Wash hands thoroughly with a brush using soap or disinfectant, before and after handling plants.
Clean boots or shoes before entering and leaving greenhouses.
Frequently disinfect pruning tools with an appropriate disinfectant (bleach, benzoic acid for example). Note that the use of alcohol is not effective in eliminating this virus.
Clean and disinfect greenhouses between 2 growing seasons.

In infected greenhouses

Have the presence of the virus confirmed by a specialized laboratory and apply drastic prophylactic measures.
Tag and quarantine the affected area and stop working there if possible, otherwise only work with dedicated clothing and tools, and last.
In the event of an attack detected in the nursery, many plants must probably be infected without necessarily expressing visible symptoms. Do not take the risk of marketing them and thus spread the virus. Destroy contaminated seed lots.
Destroy the plants present in the infected area (greenhouse, compartment, tunnel or plot): carefully pull up diseased plants and destroy them by incinerating them as quickly as possible. To do this, put them in a plastic bag so that they do not touch other plants when they leave the culture.
Do not leave pruning and leafing debris lying around in aisles and outside greenhouses. Cemented corridors must also be disinfected with an approved virucide.
Disinfect the entire greenhouse with a virucidal product: clean the surfaces of empty shelters with pressurized water with the virucidal product. Disinfect the irrigation circuit then rinse it with clean water. Remove all organic matter from the drippers and disinfect them.
Do not consume tomatoes from infected areas to limit the spread of the virus.
Do not enter or leave infected areas without washing your hands thoroughly and at length. FERA (UK) recommends washing hands for at least 1 minute with soapy water, followed or not by washing with a hydroalcoholic gel. Wearing disposable gloves is often preferable, and they can be more easily disinfected.
Lock the greenhouses and prevent them from being accessed by anyone outside the operation. Any visitors should wear special clothing, overshoes, charlottes and latex gloves.
Prohibit pets in greenhouses.
Prevent the transfer of bumblebee hives from the infected area to other areas.
Limit the wearing of clothing accessories: jewelry, watches, mobile phones can be polluted by TBRFV
Do not lend equipment or tools to producers from other vegetable farms. The tools will be disinfected with a virucide.