Annals of Applied Biology ISSN 0003-4746 REVIEW ARTICLE Temporal and spatial dynamics of Tomato spotted wilt virus and its vector in a potato crop in Argentina A.E. Salvalaggio 1,† , P.M. López Lambertini 3 , G. Cendoya 2 & M.A. Huarte 1 1 Potato Research Group, Balcarce Integrated Unit: National Institute for Agricultural Technology (INTA) and Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (UIB: INTA-FCA UNMdP), Balcarce, Argentina 2 Statistics and Experimental Design Department FCA UNMdP (UIB: INTA-FCA UNMdP), Buenos, Argentina 3 Plant Pathology Institute (IPAVE-CIAP-INTA), Córdoba, Argentina Keywords Epidemiology; Frankliniella occidentalis; Solanum tuberosum; Thrips tabaci; Tomato spotted wilt virus; Tospovirus. Correspondence A.E. Salvalaggio, Potato Research Group, Balcarce Integrated Unit: National Institute for Agricultural Technology (INTA) and Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (UIB: INTA-FCA UNMdP), Route 226 km 73.5 CC 276, CP 7620, Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Email: salvalaggio.andrea@inta.gob.ar † This publication is part of the doctoral thesis of Andrea Eugenia Salvalaggio. Received: 19 May 2016; revised version accepted: 31 January 2017. doi:10.1111/aab.12357 Abstract The nature of spatial and temporal dynamics of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and its vector in a potato crop cv. Innovator without insecticide application is analysed. Seed tuber was analysed for the presence of TSWV as a source of initial inoculum. The presence of plants with symptoms of TSWV was evaluated by visual observation and DAS-ELISA analysis to confirm the virus infection. Thrips species were collected from leaves and inflorescences and identified under stereomicroscope. The distribution of symptomatic plants and thrips species was recorded five times at 14 days intervals. The initial seed tuber infection was of 1.1%. Disease incidence was 0% at 29 days after planting (DAP), 0.2% at 43 DAP, 2.2% at 56 DAP, 11.6% at 70 DAP and 14.6% at 84 DAP. The progress of the disease was adequately described by a Logistic model [y = 0.15/(1 + 1205372.93 × exp (-0.22 × DAP))]. Thrips vector species identified as resident in the crop during the whole cycle were Thrips tabaci (n = 423), Frankliniella occidentalis (n = 141) and as occasional species, F. schultzei (n = 34) and F. gemina (n = 5) were found. At 43 and 56 DAP a random distribution pattern was observed and the thrips species found were T. tabaci (n = 188) and F. occidentalis (n = 105). An aggregated pattern was determined at 70 and 84 DAP. Spatial patterns of the disease spread suggest a polycyclic epidemic with TSWV secondary spread in the potato crop. Multiple control measures were deduced from these epidemiological results like virus testing in tubers, removal of external virus infection sources and thrips control. Introduction Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) causes severe economic losses in many crops and ornamental species worldwide (Wilson, 2001). The wide host range of TSWV includes over 1000 species of plants (Hanssen et al., 2010), belong- ing to over 70 families, both mono- and di-cotyledons. The economically important crops susceptible to TSWV include tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, peanuts, peppers, lettuce, papaya and chrysanthemum. TSWV was first identified in Argentina by Fawcett (1938) but the diver- sity of tospovirus is now considered larger than in those years with the identification of Groundnut ringspot virus (GRSV) and Tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) (Dewey et al., 1996). A differential geographical distribution of Tospovirus species was reported in Argentina, being TSWV the predominant tospovirus in Buenos Aires horticultural production regions (Williams et al., 2001). The tospoviruses are transmitted by thrips (Thysanoptera) in a persistent and propagative man- ner. Out of 7700 known species, only 15 are reported vectors worldwide (Mound, 2007; Mound & Morris, 2007; Riley et al., 2015). In Argentina, Frankliniella occi- dentalis (Pergande), Frankiniella schultzei (Tribom), Thrips tabaci (Lindemann) and Frankliniella gemina (Bagnall) are thrips reported vector species (Carrizo, 1998; de Borbón et al., 1999; Carrizo, 2002; de Borbón et al., 2006; Ramallo, 2007). Only thrips that acquired the virus as larvae are able to transmit the topoviruses. The prepupal and pupal stages do not feed on plants so they Ann Appl Biol (2017) 1 © 2017 Association of Applied Biologists