Tomato growers in Maharashtra and Karnataka have blamed two different viruses for the loss of yields earlier this year. Farmers in Maharashtra have said their tomato crop was impacted by attacks of the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), while growers in Karnataka and other South Indian states have blamed the tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) for crop losses.
Over the last three years, tomato growers have complained about the increased infestation with these two viruses, leading to partial or even complete crop losses.
What are CMV and ToMV?
The two plant pathogens have similar names and cause similar damage to crops, but they belong to different viral families and spread differently. ToMV belongs to the Virgaviridae family and is closely related to the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). ToMV hosts include tomatoes, tobacco, peppers, and certain ornamental plants.
CMV has a much larger host pool that includes cucumber, melon, eggplant, tomato, carrot, lettuce, celery, cucurbits (members of the gourd family, including squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds, etc.), and some ornamentals. CMV was identified in cucumber in 1934, which gave the virus its name.
Read more at indianexpress.com