Health

Tomato-killing virus found in California-AP

by Victoria Revay | May 22, 2007 at 03:31 pm

1082 views | 15 Recommendations | 4 comments

California's $2 Billion a year tomato industry could be crippled if the tomato yellow leaf curl virus spreads to the crops. The insect borne virus was just detected, and it so far it has devastated Mexico's, the Dominican's, Florida's and Georgia's tomato corps. California growers are hoping that natural conditions like the colder and wetter weather from this past winter will act as a barrier to stop the disease from spreading. Tomatoes are California's eight largest crop.

The virus causes tomato plants to become stunted and grow abnormally upright. Flowers usually fall off before the fruit sets. And leaves are small and crumpled with an upward curl. They also turn yellow.

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egoigwe

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:27 on May 22nd, 2007

What's with the bees, fishes and now tomatoes? Is this sounding like bacterial warfare or what? I think more attention ought to be paid to these developments and their origins. This should be up on the news wanted column, we need to know if there are other areas about the world where such occurances have been noticed but not reported on fully. Good dig Victoria.

Victoria Revay

at 16:38 on May 22nd, 2007

You're right..there is a noticable pattern here...didn't really link them all together..

Karen Hatter

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 19:06 on May 22nd, 2007

Victoria Revay, this is good stuff. I am in agreement with Egoigwe. This story seems to add yet another layer of proof to things being ecologically amiss!

kate

at 19:35 on May 22nd, 2007

Is it just me, or is it somewhat unusual to talk about viruses for things like tomatoes. I always associate viruses with other kinds of living things ie not plants. It could just be my limited grasp of biology but I'd have thought this would have been called a fungus or something before. Is there a biologist in the house?