Tomato virus found infecting green onions near dump site
Plant Pathology
If you toss diseased tomato plants in your compost or a nearby ditch, this virus shows the pathogen can spread into completely unrelated crops like onions growing nearby.
Researchers in China found a nasty tomato virus, called tomato brown rugose fruit virus, living inside green onion plants growing near a pit where rotting infected tomatoes had been dumped. This is surprising because the virus usually only infects tomato-family plants, so finding it in an onion means it can spread further and to more types of plants than scientists thought. The team sequenced the virus's full genetic code from the onion samples to confirm the infection was real and not a fluke.
Key Findings
Complete genome of tomato brown rugose fruit virus was sequenced from symptomatic green onion (Allium fistulosum) plants, a non-solanaceous host
The infected onions were found near an open disposal pit where decomposing tomato fruit from a severe ToBRFV outbreak had accumulated
Genome was assembled using overlapping RT-PCR fragments with 5' and 3' UTRs confirmed via RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends)
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found a tomato virus infecting green onions growing near a dump site where diseased tomatoes had been discarded, showing the virus can jump to unrelated crops through improper disposal.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Complete Genome Sequence of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus Isolated from Green Onion (Allium fistulosum) in China
In this project, the complete genome sequence of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) isolated from symptomatic green onion (Allium fistulosum) plants in Shandong Province, China, was obtained....
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Gene editing removes 97% of celiac-triggering proteins from bread wheat
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
The tomato is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from western South America, and may have been domesticated there, in Mexico, or in Central America. Th...