Our lab reported the emergence of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) resistance-breaking (RB) strains in pepper (access full note here: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-09-22-2274-PDN) and tomato (link to be posted) for the first time in Texas. These strains were capable of disrupting single-gene resistance in all tested TSWV resistant cultivars (eight each) of tomato (Sw-5b gene) and pepper (Tsw gene). They appear to lack all previously reported RB mutations in TSWV proteins and pose a significant threat to tomato and pepper production in Texas. Extensive studies on characterization and transmission of these strains are currently underway.
