Identification and introgression of resistance against the potato psyllid in tomato

To date, no commercial tomato cultivar carries resistance to the potato psyllid (PP), the vector of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” (cLso) and the causal agent of tomato vein greening in tomato and other economically important diseases in solanaceous crops. As a result, farmers rely solely on chemical applications to control the insect. It is imperative to develop resistant cultivars in combination with management strategies to reduce yield losses. As a first step to develop resistant cultivars, the breeding program is screening wild tomato relative species to use as a resistance source. Identified resistant wild tomatoes are being crossed with advanced tomato breeding lines to develop resistant cultivars.