Comparative spatial dispersal ofTomato yellow leaf curl virus vectored by B and Q biotypes ofBemisia tabaci in Tomato glasshouses

The spatial dispersal patterns ofTomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) disease vectored by the B and Q biotypes of the whiteflyBemisia tabaci in tomato glasshouses were compared. Tomato plants were arranged in glasshouses and TYLCV-infected plants were placed in the center of each plot. Adult whiteflies of each biotype were released onto TYLCV-infected plants and the insects were then freely dispersed in the glasshouses under high or moderate temperature conditions. The abundance and spatial distribution of dispersed whiteflies did not differ between the B and Q biotypes in tomato glasshouses. The disease incidence and dispersion of TYLCV as a result of short-distance movement of the whiteflies were also similar between the two biotypes, although on several investigation dates there was a tendency for the disease incidence caused by the B biotype to be slightly greater than that caused by the Q biotype. These results demonstrated that the aspects of spatial spread of TYLCV vectored by the B and Q biotypes ofB. tabaci in tomato glasshouses are similar. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Dec. 11, 2007.