Tomato Spotted Wilt Peanut Notes No. 139 2025

(Updated: July 3, 2025, 8:56 a.m.)

Someone sent an image of a peanut plant with symptoms of this disease. Here was my response:

This is tomato spotted wilt that is caused by a virus that is transmitted by the insect pest thrips. There is no way to suppress this virus now. It is most problematic with early planted peanuts in cases where the plant population is relatively low. The varieties we are growing (Bailey II, primarily) have good resistance to this disease. However, there are instances when we might have more of this because of planting date, plant population, and thrips control that can override some of the resistance we have in the varieties we grow.