Biological Scientist University of Florida Belle Glade, Florida
Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is among the top ten most consumed vegetables in the United States and is mainly in California, Arizona, and Florida. The lettuce production in Florida is estimated to have a value of 100 million dollars and is predominantly concentrated in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) in southern Florida. A recent outbreak of a thrips-transmitted virus, Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), led to significant losses in lettuce production in Salinas Valley, California. Although there have been no reported cases of INSV in Florida, it poses a significant threat to lettuce crops if introduced. Given that the primary vector for INSV, the Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), and other potential vectors such as tobacco thrips (F. fusca) and melon thrips (Thrips palmi), are present in Florida, the chances of severe outbreak of INSV is high if it were to be introduced. To determine the current status and risk of an INSV outbreak, we monitored thrips population levels in lettuce farms and screened the thrips for INSV in the EAA. Thrips were collected from five commercial lettuce farms and one research plot in the EAA using sticky traps and hand collecting method. The collected thrips were counted and identified based on morphological characters and DNA barcoding using COI and ITS regions. Additionally, thrips and lettuce samples were randomly collected from each site and tested for the presence of INSV using RT-qPCR assays. The results of this study will be updated soon.