Internal browning of tomato fruit induced by a late infection of tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract

Inoculation of field-grown tomato plants with a tomato strain of tobacco mosiac virus (TMV) when the first fruit commenced to ripen induced internal browning in 7.4 per cent of the 4049 fruit produced. Seventy-nine per cent of the plants produced some affected fruit. The production of affected fruit rose to a maximum 42 days after inoculation and declined rapidly to an insignificant level after 73 days. Internal browning did not develop on any of the 3987 fruit produced by the uninoculated control planting.