By Ismael Escobar and Dr. Rebecca Creamer ASSURED Program 2007

 A problem in the USA since 1899  Infects crops and weeds  The crops are peppers, tomatoes, sugarbeets, spinach, melons and beans  Youngest plants most susceptible to infection  Transmitted by the leafhopper

 Disease reported in peppers in NM in 1927  Severely stunted plants  Some plants have chlorotic rolled leaves  Small rounded fruit  Stiff plants with brittle leaves  Symptoms appear 1-2 weeks after infection  Plants infected when young may die

 Feeds on a wide host range of plants  Prefers semi-arid and arid areas  Can transmit viruses to plants on which it can’t complete its life cycle

 mm length  Robust with lots of spines  Light tan to yellowish to gray  Color and size vary slightly with season  Found throughout western USA  3 morphs - summer, winter, and migratory

 Transmits virus in a circulative manner  Can acquire virus after feeding for 15 min, but with longer feeding (48 hr) acquires more virus  Can transfer virus to healthy plant with few minutes of feeding, but transmit better if longer  Can continue to transmit the virus for days  Requires 4 hr latent period in insect before transmitting

 Heavy seeding  Weed removal  Plant resistance in bean, sugarbeet, tomatoes, none in chile  Kaolin sprays  Insecticides - to decrease leafhopper numbers  Predictive model

 To determine the preference of the Beet leafhopper between Tabasco and NM64.

 The NM64 is going to be the more susceptible to be affected by the virus.

 Commercial varieties susceptible to, other Capsicum species appear to have some level of resistance.  Tabasco vs. NM64

 Plants were grown in greenhouse  Cotyledons were caged in sets of 4 with 5 leafhoppers for 19 hours.  After 2 weeks plants were set for staining, DNA extraction and PCR.

 Leaf Staining (Acid Fuschin)  Confirmation by microscope by staining stylet tracks and punctures  Examined 1 leave/plant  Extraction/PCR  PCR using CP4r & CP6f

 Tabasco plants with leafhoppers had an average of 6.3 punctures per leaf and the range was from 0 to 28. Stylet tracks had an average of.14  NM64 with leafhoppers had an average of 15.6 punctures per leaf and the range was from 6 to 33. Stylet tracks had an average of.2  None of the plants with leafhoppers tested positive to Curly Top Virus.

 Tabasco plants without leafhoppers had an average of 0.4 punctures per leaf and no stylet tracks.  NM64 plants without leafhoppers had an average of 2.8 punctures per leaf and no stylet tracks.  None of the plants without leafhoppers tested positive to Curly Top Virus.

 NM64 had a higher number of punctures than Tabasco due to preference of the leafhopper.  Plants without leafhoppers had punctures due to white flies in the greenhouse.