Plant Pathology (1996) 45, 367-374

J. Aramburu, J. Riudavets, J. Arno, A. Laviña and E. Moriones (1996)
Rapid serological detection of Tomato spotted wilt virus in individual thrips by squash-blot assay for use in epidemiological studies
Plant Pathology 45 (2), 367-374
Abstract: Squash blotting on nitrocellulose membranes was used to detect tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in individual Frankliniella occidentalis adult thrips using a specific polyclonal antiserum. This method offers a simple and reliable procedure to test a large number of thrips and was less time-consuming than alternative techniques available. A 95% agreement was found between the results of squash-blot and plant transmission assay. Based on this agreement, this technique was used to study the relative number of viruliferous thrips in F. occidentalis field populations collected from a farm in Catalonia where TSWV causes important economic losses. The percentages of viruliferous individuals detected from a total of 1509 collected thrips increased from 0% to 2% in the different surveys conducted in the 1993 growing season. Squash-blot proved to be a rapid and inexpensive technique to screen TSWV viruliferous thrips from field populations. The results obtained by this method could be used together with other epidemiological data to forecast TSWV-induced diseases.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Jordi Riudavets, Amparo Lavina

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
transmission/dispersal of plant diseases

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Frankliniella occidentalis		Spain (continental)
	Orthotospovirus tomatomaculae		Spain (continental)