Bunyavirales

Bunyavirales represent a significant order of viruses that includes the family Tospoviridae, which poses a severe threat to various agricultural crops worldwide. These viruses are obligate intracellular pathogens that disrupt normal plant development and lead to major yield losses in both open-field and greenhouse production systems.

The primary host range includes economically important crops such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, lettuce, and numerous ornamentals. The infection process involves the systemic colonization of plant tissues, which profoundly affects the health and aesthetic quality of produce, often leading to total crop failure in susceptible varieties.

Symptoms are highly variable depending on the host but commonly manifest as chlorotic spots, necrotic ring spots, mosaic patterns, and stunted plant growth. Infected fruit often exhibit uneven ripening, scarring, or deformation, rendering them unsuitable for market consumption or further processing.

Transmission occurs predominantly through the feeding activity of thrips. Once a thrips vector acquires the virus, it remains infectious for its entire life cycle, facilitating rapid spread within and between fields. Environmental factors, such as high temperatures, often accelerate both the development of the vector and the virus replication cycle.

Effective management strategies require an integrated approach: minimizing the presence of thrips vectors through chemical and biological control, selecting resistant or tolerant cultivars, and implementing strict sanitation practices. Removing weed hosts that act as natural reservoirs is essential to break the infection cycle and protect upcoming crop cycles.