THE BIOLOGY OF THE TOSPOVIRUSES

The tospoviruses are a diverse, cosmopolitan and economically importan t genus of plant viruses. In the recent past, interest in the tospovir uses has been rekindled with the resurgence and expansion of tomato sp otted wilt virus and the appearance of new tospoviruses, including imp atiens necrotic spot. This renewed interest in the tospoviruses, accom panied with the many recent advances in plant virology techniques, par ticularly those utilising molecular biology, have resulted in a rapid growth of our understanding of these viruses. This paper provides a re view of the tospoviruses, encompassing all the major aspects of their biology, including the recent changes in the classification of the gen us and current knowledge on molecular biology, vector relations, contr ol and diagnosis.