Severe diseases, caused by viruses transmitted by whitefiies, are emerging as a major constraint to the production of tomatoes, peppers, beans, cotton and cucurbits in developing and less developed countries. Plants infected with these viruses show symptoms including severely stunted growth; twisted, curled and discolored leaves; and greatly reduced yields. Dr. Robert Gilbertson, a plant pathologist at the University of California-Davis, is part, of a team put together to address a viral disease epidemic in tomatoes in Mali and other West African countries (e.g., Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Senegal and Togo). the long-term goal of this project is to develop, strategies to. increase regionaltomato production, which has been-greatly reduced bythese diseases.
展开▼
