Description

Abstract: Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was detected for the first time in Georgia peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 1986 (Demski,unpublished) prompting a systematic survey in 1987. TSWV was detected in 10 of 13 peanut fields distributed over nine southwestern Georgia counties, whereas no TSWV-infected plants were detected in the same or adjacent counties in 1983 (1). The incidence of TSWV-infected plants was 0.1% or less in virus-infected fields. Three strains of peanut mottle virus (PM V), i.e., PM V-mild (M), PM V-necrosis (N), and PM V-chlorosis (C), were also identified in these same fields. Incidence of the endemic PM V -M varied from 1 to 80%, whereas incidences ofPMV-N and PMV-C were similar to that of TSWV. Symptoms caused by PMV-N and PMV-C were sometimes similar to those caused by TSWV, particularly at the early stages of disease development, and mixed infections of TSWV and PMV were detected. Thus, identification of TSWV must be based on reliable laboratory tests.