Pepino mosaic virus
A highly contagious disease that can cause significant loss
What is it?
PepMV is a relatively new disease to the UK and has so far been confined to commercial plantings. It is a ‘notifiable’ disease and should be reported to Defra if suspected. It is highly contagious and has the potential to cause significant crop loss, infecting the entire glasshouse if left undetected. Early detection and confirmation of symptoms is essential in reducing the risk of disease spread.
What does it look like?
Symptoms are likely to be first seen in early spring. Leaf symptoms include yellow speckling, distortion and mosaic, with bubbling of the leaf surface. Plants may be stunted, light green or spiky, with a ‘nettle-like’ appearance to the top of the plant. The fruit may show a ‘marbled’ pattern, with areas of lighter skin.
How is it spread?
The disease is easily spread on hands, tools and clothing during handling and trimming of plants and spreads at a much faster rate than tomato mosaic virus. This is the same for both indoor and outdoor plants.
How can I control it?
PepMV can be controlled by good hygiene, including disinfection of tools and regular hand washing. Inspection of bought in plants and regular monitoring is important. Infected plants should be removed and destroyed to reduce the risk disease spread. A good end of season clean-up (including washing down and disinfecting the greenhouse and plant supports) will reduce the risk of carry-over of this and many other pests and diseases.
When do I test?
Symptoms of PepMV are likely to be first observed in March/April. Testing should be carried out as soon as symptoms are detected and monitoring for symptoms should continue until the end of cropping.
What do I test?
Where possible, select areas of leaf or fruit that shows symptoms of disease. When testing fruit, select skin from an affected area and remove as much flesh as possible. For best results do not use completely dead plant material. As a general guide, samples of leaf material should be approximately 25mm x 25mm.