Last Tuesday, more than four hundred farmers and horticultural technicians from Almeria participated in the conference dedicated to the Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) organized by the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAP). There were so many participants that many of the attendees had no seat and had to watch the presentations while standing.
This training, 80% of which was financed by the European Social Fund within the Operational Programme for Andalusia 2007-2013, was organized due to the recent emergence of the ToLCNDV in zucchini crops. The virus, which was detected last summer in Andalusia and Murcia, is transmitted by whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) and originated in Asian countries. Since its entry in southern Spain, the virus has spread rapidly in cultures of greenhouse and outdoors.
The presence of ToLCNDV presents a challenge for intensive horticulture, not only for Almeria but also for all of southern Spain. This technical conference's goal was to give the sector all of the information available on the virus.
Source: Elalmeria