IDENTIFICATION OF A NATURAL WEED HOST OF TOMATO MOTTLE GEMINIVIRUS INFLORIDA

Surveys were conducted in southwest and west central Florida to identi fy naturally occurring weed hosts of the whitefly-transmitted tomato m ottle geminivirus (TMoV). More than 780 samples representing 42 specie s in 14 families were collected from 35 field sites over 3 yr. Detecti on procedures included nucleic acid spot hybridization assays with con firmation by polymerase chain reaction amplification, Southern blot an alysis, and virus inclusion visualization. Experimental transmission o f TMoV was also attempted to more than 340 plants representing 20 spec ies in seven families by using whiteflies (Bemisia argentifolii [B. ta baci biotype B]). One exotic weed from the Solanaceae, tropical soda a pple (Solanum viarum), was found to be an experimental host of TMoV an d was also found to be naturally infected in the field at a low incide nce.