Pacific Pests, Pathogens and Weeds

View full fact sheet

Summary

• Worldwide distribution. On papaya and cucurbits. An important disease. 
•  Leaves with yellow and green patterns, distorted, small. Older leaves with dark green streaks on the stalks. Ringspots on the fruit.
• Spread by (i) aphids, (ii) the trade in nursery plants.
• Cultural control: remove volunteer papaya; restrict people entering plantations; remove disease trees in new plantations, and those in old blocks; netting; resistant varieties offer best (only) solution.
• Chemical control. not appropriate as aphids pick up virus from disease plants and spread it to healthy trees before insecticides kill them.