Potato virus in tobacco crop #zimbabwe

Research Board (TRB) have identified a
virulent necrotic strain of Potato Virus Y
(PVY), which could destroy up to 90 per
cent of a crop strain in the tobacco crop
Joseph Made, Zimbabwe's minister of agriculture,
mechanisation and irrigation, said that the virus
was one of the most prevalent diseases spread
by aphids, which feed on regrowths from
undestroyed tobacco stalks.
According to Made, there are some challenges
that have arisen as a result of knowledge gaps
amongst tobacco growers.
"Amid some of these challenges is the issue of
failure to observe tobacco cultivation legislation,"
Made stated.
The minister explained that the majority of new
entrants in the tobacco industry do not take note
of legislative issues, which are aimed at restricting
incidences and spread of insect borne viruses of
tobacco.
"Non-adherence to the legislation related to stalk
destruction, planting of seed beds and planting
into the lands could all have a catastrophic effect
on our vibrant tobacco industry," Made said.