Viral and Fungal Diseases of Processing and Fresh Tomato in the Mediterranean Basin

Many diseases occur on tomato plants in the Mediterranean basin. In the last years economic losses due to several fungal and viral pathogens that had, until now, scarce economic concern have been detected. Besides late blight, fungal diseases such as Alternaria early blight, Colletotrichum anthrachnose on leaves and fruits and corky root, Phytophthora parasitica and isolates of P. capsici, that could be dangerous on grafted tomato in Italy, are emerging diseases of processing tomato. In greenhouse, Cladosporium leaf spot, powdery mildew, early blight, Dydimella stem and fruit rot, corky root and fusarium crown and root rot are the diseases with the most increase in the last five years. Between viruses, the most important for tomato production are actually Tomato spotted wilt virus, endemic and the greatest threat for tomato crops allover tomato cultivated areas within the Mediterranean basin, the whitefly transmitted Tomato yellow leaf curl virus and Tomato yellow leaf curl Sardinia virus, endemic in the Mediterranean basin and particularly in Italy and Spain. The most common and widespread are the aphid-borne Cucumber mosaic virus (often in association with a necrogenic RNA satellite) and Potato virus Y, both with necrogenic and non-necrogenic variants. Pepino mosaic virus, included in the EPPO alert list, is also present and its further diffusion would compromise tomato production in all interested areas.