Avances en la epidemiología de los begomovirus y su vector Bemisia tabaci en Costa Rica

Since the early 1990s, and almost simultaneously, unknown diseases started to be observed in many crops, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. These diseases were predominantly caused by begomoviruses, which were poorly known at that time. Their vector, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci(Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), often reached unprecedented huge populations in agricultural areas. This elicited a serious production crisis worldwide, that caused losses of millions of dollars for farmers in many countries, including the Mesoamerican region. Fortunately, in Costa Rica, some local research centers, with the collaboration of foreign specialists, have been able to study the causes of this phenomenon, in the search for solutions based on solid epidemiological information. In addition to the previously reported native Bemisia tabacispecies, New World (NW), two exotic species, –Mediterranean (MED) and Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1)–were found.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, grant AGL2016-75819-C2-2Embrapa, CNPq and FAP-DF grantsPeer reviewe