Common question and answers about tobacco mosaic virus

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is highly transmittable through routine greenhouse operations. If you have found TMV on plants in your greenhouse this season, Michigan State University Extension recommends their immediate disposal. We have compiled common questions from growers and their answers.

What is TMV?
TMV is a single-stranded RNA virus that commonly infects Solanaceous plants, which is a plant family that includes many species such as petunias, tomatoes and tobacco.

What are the hosts of TMV?
Pathologists estimate that there could be up to 350 plant species susceptible to TMV. According to Spence et al. in the European Journal of Plant Pathology, some of the more susceptible species that show symptoms are petunia, bacopa, verbena, scaevola, diascia, calibrachoa and lobelia. Some species can be a host for the virus, but not show symptoms.

How stable is TMV?
TMV is an incredibly stable virus. In fact, it is so stable that it can remain in tobacco plants after the extensive processing necessary to make tobacco products.

Why do symptoms differ between infected plants?
Symptoms differ between infected plants depending on the stage of disease severity, the genetic line of the virus and the host plant.

Click here to read more answers and question about the Tobacco mosaic virus at www.msu.edu