Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) resistance in tomato derived from Lycopersicon chilense Dun. LA 1938

Abstract

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) resistance wasidentified in Y118 (Fla 925-2), an F1BC1S6 tomato line(Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), derived from a crosswith L. chilense Dun. (LA 1938). This line waspreviously selected for tomato mottle virus (ToMoV)resistance in Florida. Progeny from crosses betweenFla 925-2 and three different TSWV susceptible L.esculentum parents were used in TSWV resistancestudies. A total of 75 F1 and 596 F2 plants from allthree crosses were screened for TSWV resistance. ForF2 plants free of TSWV symptoms, evaluations were madeusing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TenF3 populations used for further greenhouse and fieldscreenings were selected from F2 plants found to befree of the virus using visual and ELISA criteria ateach evaluation. One F1 and four F3 lines werestudied under field conditions (Stellenbosch, SouthAfrica) in which 100% of the `Flora-Dade' susceptiblecontrols were severely infected with TSWV. Theresults of the field study clearly establish that TSWVfield resistance is present in the Fla 925-2 (Y118)derived lines. Studies conducted on these linesrevealed that this resistance has the distinctcharacteristic of often `recovering' from initiallyhigh levels of virus titer in the tissue to levelsbelow detection with ELISA.