Portland, Maine
January 21, 2008
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Symptoms of ToANV
include plant stunting, flagging of stems and shoots,
necrosis of leaves, and severe ring spotting of fruit.
An incidence of nearly 100% was noted in fields with
susceptible varieties. The production of marketable
fruit can be reduced significantly if infection occurs
early in the season.
The symptoms of TSWV are very similar with severe
economic impact if the disease is not detected early and
accurately, and treatment initiated quickly |
QuickStix™ Kit for ToANV
New diagnostic tests for ToANV & TSWV are critical to tomato
production
EnviroLogix, a leader
in the development and manufacture of diagnostic test kits for
GMOs and plant pathogens, released new diagnostic test kits for
Tomato Apex Necrosis Virus (ToANV) and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
(TSWV). EnviroLogix’ QuickStix Kit for ToANV and QuickStix Kit
for TSWV are immunoassay Lateral Flow Devices (LFD) for the
detection of these plant pathogens in the field or in the lab.
EnviroLogix also offers a high-throughput QualiPlate™ Kit for
TSWV, a two-hour ELISA plate test for use in the lab. These test
kits will help growers, breeders, seed producers and seed
multipliers diagnose and initiate treatment for these severe
tomato diseases.
Tomato Apex Necrosis Virus – ToANV
ToANV (a torradovirus), confused for some time as a new strain
of TSWV, was first identified in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico in
2007, and has since been reported in other areas. This virus has
been described as causing “significant mortality of plants and
unmarketable fruit,” resulting in severe economic loss.
Before the introduction of the QuickStix Kit for ToANV, there
were no tools available to diagnose the disease in the field.
Symptomatic samples had to be sent to diagnostic labs where
complex tests often took days or weeks to develop results.
Because the disease is so virulent and economically threatening,
early detection and fast, accurate diagnosis are essential to
the application of effective control measures.
There are two reasons for the development of a field test for
ToANV. First, it has symptoms similar to TSWV (and other tomato
diseases), and a test that can distinguish these diseases will
help in making good treatment decisions. Second, ToANV is a new
disease, and early and accurate detection in the field is
critical to establishing the boundaries of the disease and to
managing it.
EnviroLogix’ new QuickStix Kit for ToANV is a diagnostic test
giving tomato growers and breeders the ability to detect the
pathogen, initiate control measures, and to protect the
investment in their crops.
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus - TSWV
TSWV (a tospovirus) is a disease that has been identified in
tomato fruit and seed production fields around the globe for
many years. According to agriculture specialists, researchers,
diagnosticians and business practitioners TSWV ranks as the
plant virus with the “greatest prevalence, economic impact and
demand for diagnosis.”
Despite the existence of other diagnostic tests, there is a
growing need for a rapid, dependable field diagnostic test for
TSWV. EnviroLogix’ new QuickStix Kit for TSWV is not only fast
and accurate, it is an easy-to-use and robust field diagnostic
test that provides results in five minutes or less.
In addition to field testing, the geographic and cyclical nature
of TSWV and the need for large scale testing requires a fast,
high-throughput ELISA test. EnviroLogix developed the QualiPlate
Kit for TSWV using removable strip plates that runs in two
hours. This test can be used to confirm field tests based on the
QuickStix results, or it can be used independently to determine
the presence of the pathogen in bulk samples.
The QuickStix Kits for ToANV and TSWV can be performed together
using a common sample extraction process or may be used
independently. They are quick, easy to use and accurate for
on-site diagnostics. These kits, coupled with QualiPlate Kit for
TSWV, will enable tomato growers, seed producers, seed
multipliers, and independent testing labs to quickly and
accurately determine the presence of either one or both of these
diseases.
The new QuickStix tests for ToANV and TSWV, and the new
QualiPlate test for TSWV are part of a growing line of plant
pathogen diagnostics from EnviroLogix. Over the past year, the
company has introduced rapid tests for soybean rust, Bacterial
Fruit Blotch, Botrytis and Lettuce Mosaic Virus (LMV) among
others.
According to Bruce Ferguson, president of EnviroLogix, “We are
committed to developing a host of plant pathogen diagnostic and
GM trait identification tests in a variety of formats to serve
the needs of seed companies, breeders, growers, and
distributors. To help our customers optimize quality and
production, we are looking at some of the most critical
pathogens,” he said. |
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