Nov 3, 2021 | View All Issues
Richard Smith, Larry Bettiga and Daniel Hasegawa
Farm Advisors with UCCE Monterey and Research Entomologist, USDA ARS, Salinas
Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) is a serious disease of lettuce in Monterey County. It is a tospovirus that is spread by an insect vector, the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). INSV also infects a wide range of other host plants and is spread when thrips acquire the virus from infected host plants and migrate into uninfected lettuce fields. Lettuce is a key host for INSV during the lettuce production season, but during the winter when there are no lettuce fields, the virus survives in weedy host plants in a variety of habitats: roadsides, ditches, waste areas around equipment yards, and natural areas. Vineyards can also be habitat for INSV due to the presence of infected weed hosts. This article will discuss the specific role of vineyards in providing habitat for INSV host plants.
OPEN FOR FULL ARTICLE
Download (121KB PDF)