Curly top virus found in perennial shrubs in foothills

Abstract

Beet curly top geminivirus damages numerous crops, including beans, beets, spinach, peppers, melons and tomatoes. Both the virus and its vector, the beet leafhopper, overwinter in the foothills surrounding the Central Valley. The known host range of the virus is now recognized to include many native and introduced perennial shrubs in the foothills. This is the first reported detection of the virus in plants in the families Ephedraceae, Rhamnaceae and Salicaceae.