Evaluating the Possible Risk of Brown Rugose Fruit Disease on Tomato Cultivation in the Philippines and Mitigation Strategies

Abstract

Tomato brown rugose fruit (ToBRF) disease is an emerging disease of tomato worldwide. It has been reported that the virus causing the disease has overcome the resistance gene commonly used by breeders against other tobamoviruses. Due to the aforementioned concern, this disease has been designated by European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) as a high-priority addition to its ‘Alert List’. While no official reports of the disease currently exist within the Philippines, the significant import and movement of plant materials within and into the country necessitates continued vigilance. The absence of a formal regulatory framework in the Philippines for this disease elevates the risk of its emergence and subsequent establishment within the country. Consequently, proactive measures to identify potential sources and mitigate the spread of the disease are of paramount importance. In this review, a management strategy has been proposed that can reduce the initial amount of inoculum (X_o), rate of infection (r), and length of time of infection (t) if the virus causing the disease enters the country.