Transmission of an Indonesian Isolate of Tobacco leaf curl virus (Geminivirus) by Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Abstract

Bemisia tabaci Genn. is an important pest worldwide because of its ability to cause damage by direct feeding and its role as a vector of some viruses including geminiviruses. The first report of Tobacco leaf curl virus (TLCV), a Geminivirus, in Indonesia was in 1932 when the virus was found infecting tobacco plants in Central Java. The characteristic symptoms of TLCV included upward curling of the leaf edge, vein thickening, and sometimes the occurrence of enation on the underside of the leaves. Basic studies were carried out to elucidate the characteristics of TLCV transmission by its vector, B. tabaci. A single whitefly was able to transmit the virus and the efficiency of transmission was increased when the number of adult whiteflies was increased up to 20 per plant. Inoculation access period of 1 h could cause transmission up to 20% and the optimum inoculation access period was 12 h. Acquisition access period of 30 minutes resulted in 70% transmission while 100% transmission occurred with a 24-h acquisition access period. The virus was proven to be persistently but not transovarially transmitted. Discrete fragments of 1.6 kb were observed when polymerase chain reaction method was applied to detect the virus in viruliferous nymphs and individual adults of B. tabaci, while no bands were obtained from non-viruliferous nymphs and adults.