Identification of the principal viruses infecting tomato crops in Tunisia

Serological tests have been used to detect viruses associated with tomato in 257 samples collected in different regions in Tunisia, Cap-Bon, Sahel and South during successive seasons. The viruses detected were cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) and tomato aspermy cucumovirus (TAV), potato Y potyvirus (PVY), tobacco etch potyvirus (TEV) and pepper veinal mottle potyvirus (PVMV), tomato mosaic tobamovirus (ToMV) and tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (TMV), tobacco rattle tobravirus (TRV), alfalfa mosaic alfamovirus (AMV), tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV), tomato ringspot nepovirus (TomRSV) and potato X potexvirus (PVX). Some were detected in all three regions surveyed, at variable frequencies: TMV, CMV, TEV, PVY, ToMV, AMV, TAV, TSWV and TRV. Others were only detected in two regions (PVMV in Cap-Bon and Sahel and PVX in Sahel and in the south) or one region (TomRSV in Cap-Bon). Movement of individual viruses from one region to another may be due to movement of specific vectors, as in the case of the thrips-transmitted TSWV moving from the south to the north. Some of these viruses were found for the first time in Tunisia.