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Transmission of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus from Pepper and Three Weed Hosts by Frankliniella fusca. H. A. Hobbs, Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge 70803. L. L. Black, R. N. Story, R. A. Valverde, W. P. Bond, J. M. Gatti, Jr., D. O. Schaeffer, and R. R. Johnson. Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology; Department of Entomology; Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge 70803; Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond 70402; Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, and Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803. Plant Dis. 77:797-799. Accepted for publication 29 March 1993. Copyright 1993 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-77-0797.

We tested the ability of the tobacco thrips (Frankliniella fusca) to transmit tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) from bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) and three wild hosts of the virus in Louisiana--spiny-leaved sowthistle (Sonchus asper), wild lettuce (Lactuca floridana), and buttercup (Ranunculus sardous). In experiments with five thrips per test plant, F. fusca was able to transmit TSWV from all four host species to S. asper and bell pepper test plants. F. fusca was able to reproduce in the laboratory on plants of bell pepper and each of the three weed hosts. These results indicate that F. fusca can acquire TSWV from the three weed species and bell pepper in the field and transmit it to pepper and other hosts.