Tomato chlorosis virus
(ToCV)

- classification : Crinivirus, Closteroviridae



After Florida, the tomato ( chlorosis virus Tomato chlorosis virus , ToCV) was described in Louisiana, Colorado Its first signage in Europe dates back to 1997, in Spain. Later, it was found in particular in several countries of the Mediterranean Basin, chronologically in Portugal, Italy, Greece and France. It has also been detected in Morocco, the Canary Islands, South Africa, and even Taiwan (1998). It has been present in Israel since 2003. It can be detected in field crops as well as under shelter. It is the latter case that we observe in France.

In France, this virus does not yet seem to be present in all production areas. It is rampant in the south of France, and in particular in the Pyrénées-Orientales and the Bouches-du-Rhône. In the latter production zone, the proportion of infected plants can be not insignificant, varying from 5 to 30% of the plants. Sometimes all the plants can be affected. Under these conditions, the yields are reduced, due in particular to the limited size of the fruits.


This emerging virus appears to originate in the United States, where it was first identified in 1998, in Florida. In fact, symptoms of ToCV would have been observed on tomatoes in this same state as early as 1989, and called at the time “ yellow leaf disorder ”.

The viral particles measure 800-850 x 12 nm (Figure 1).

Figure 1