Identification Symptoms

  • Mosaic mottling of leaves and stunting of plants are the characteristic symptoms of potato virus Y Mosaic symptoms are mild in early stages but later become severe.
  • Infected leaves are deformed, small and leathery. Very few fruits are produced on infected plants.
  • The important symptom produced by tobacco mosaic virus is conspicuous mottling of leaves.
  • Leaves also develop blisters in advanced cases. Severely infected leaves become small and misshapen. Plants infected early remain stunted.
  • PVY is easily sap transmitted.
  • It is transmitted in the field through aphids, Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae and perpetuates on weed hosts like Solanum nigrum and S.xanthocarpum.
  • TMV is transmitted by sap, contaminated implements and clothes, soil debris and hands of labour.
  • It can perpetuate on many cultivated plants like cucurbits, legumes, pepper, tobacco, tomato and weed hosts. The virus survives in plant debris in soil.