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Plant & Pest Advisory – July 7, 2025 – Andy Wyenandt
Tobacco Streak Virus (TSV) was found on fresh-market tomato this past week in
southern New Jersey. TSV has a host range of close to 200 species, including
cranberry, tobacco, tomato, pepper, asparagus, bean, soybean, mustard, radish,
a number of ornamental hosts as well as weeds such as thistle, field bindweed,
and jimsonweed. Like Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV), the Tobacco Streak
Virus is also vectored by thrips. TSV can be seed-borne (reported in some
hosts), spread via pollen, and mechanically transmitted. Symptoms can vary
significantly depending on the host. Infected plants may have downward leaf
curling, show black streaks on leaves and stems, chlorosis, stunted growth,
deformed growing tips, ring spots, and flower drop. There is no genetic
resistance to TSV in tomato and management should focus on keeping thrips
populations as low as possible, scouting, removing infected plants, and knowing
your weed population (as a potential source).The only method to correctly
identify TSV is through serological tests such as ELISA.