AN UPDATE OF THE HOST RANGE OF TOMATO SPOTTED WILT VIRUS

SUMMARY Among plant viruses, Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is considered as the most widespread and to have the largest host-range. This virus is responsible for numerous epidemics in different regions of the world, mainly in horticultural and floral crops, which are often destructive and cause heavy economic losses. The highly polyphagous nature, the efficiency of virus transmission and the biological activity of its vectors, the rapidity with which new variants arise, and difficulties in the control of the vectors, make TSWV one of the most feared plant viruses by growers of agricultural crops. Preventive and integrated cultural practices such as the eradication of weed hosts able to serve as virus reservoirs, combined with vector management strategies, play a crucial role in the control of the virus. Thus, the availability of an up-to-date list of TSWV host plants is a potentially useful reference for researchers and farmers. The current list of TSWV hosts consists of 1090 plants species belonging in 15 families of monocotyledonous plants, 69 families of dicotyledonous plants and one family of pteridophytes.