ToBRFV is posing a great threat to the tomato cultivation of southern Turkey's Antalya province, as it is spreading rapidly among tomato seedlings.
Tomato producers in Antalya – Turkey's leading city in greenhouse cultivation – accustomed to finding solutions to various diseases that emerge during every season are fighting a new kind of virus this year. The disease does not show symptoms until the seedlings grow and start giving fruit.
According to agricultural engineer Abdülhamit Yeter, ToBRFV is as dangerous as the coronavirus for plants. Producers fear that the disease could already have infected the majority of the crops as it spreads really fast due to pollination. Only limited options are available for producers wishing to save their crop from the disease.
"The disease is currently in the initial phase, but if it goes like this, we will not be able to find any tomatoes in three years," Yeter added.
Fresh fruits and vegetables produced in Antalya are exported to more than 40 countries. Tomatoes constitute the majority of these products consumed in the domestic market. Different types of tomatoes constitute approximately two-thirds of the vegetable production in the city.
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