Tobacco Etch Virus
- Issue type
- disease
- Seedborne
- No
- Resistance code
- TEV
Symptoms
Dark green vein-banding and a mottled, etched appearance on younger pepper leaves, with puckering and downward cupping as infection advances. Fruit set drops sharply and pods that do form are small and misshapen. Tabasco and other C. frutescens types collapse quickly, which is what made the virus a commercial threat to the Louisiana crop rather than a nuisance.
Management
Spread by aphids within seconds of probing, so insecticides do not reliably stop transmission and are not a control on their own. It is not carried on seed, so clean transplants, removal of perennial weed hosts around the field, and resistant varieties do the work. Resistance is available in pepper and was moved into Tabasco by Louisiana State University to produce Greenleaf Tabasco.
Varieties with documented resistance
| Variety | Level | Code | Basis | Days | Breeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenleaf Tabasco | resistant | TEV | Independently observed | 90-120 | open-pollinated |
This is the page where the difference matters most, because it is where a variety gets chosen for its resistance. Breeder declared means the claim comes from whoever breeds or sells the seed, which for most resistance genes is the only evidence that exists. Independently observed means an institution with no stake in the sale grew the plant and reported what happened.
Sources & References
Evidence: 2 sources, all independent references.
- Peppers: Vegetable and Spice Capsicums · CABI (2012), Scholarly Reference
- Vegetable MD Online · Cornell University, Plant Pathology, University or Government