Beet curly top virus transmission, epidemiology, and management

Beet curly top viruses (BCTVs) are transmitted by leafhopper to a wide range of host plants, including many crop and weed hosts, and cause significant annual losses to irrigated agriculture in the western United States. The strains of BCTV, which show host-plant specificity, have changed over time, with new strains arising as recombinants. The beet leafhopper overwinters on weed hosts and moves from those hosts as they dry in the spring, feeding on crop plants, even nonpreferred hosts such as chili peppers and tomatoes, in their search for summer hosts. In New Mexico, the leafhoppers overwinter on mustard weeds such as London rocket and oversummer on weed hosts such as kochia, and cause significant losses to chili pepper and tomato crops. Management of curly top virus in New Mexico on these hosts is most effective when leafhopper numbers and disease can be predicted in advance and effective cultural controls can be implemented.