THE EFFECTS OF THE MOTTLE AND THE COMMON TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUSES ON THE YIELD OF VARIETY VIRGINIA 12

Abstract

Common tobacco mosaic and mottle are the two most important virus diseases of tobacco in Puerto Rico. A field experiment was carried out at Caguas to determine the effect of these viruses on the yield of tobacco. Healthy plants of the variety Virginia 12 considerably outyielded plants infected with mottle or with tobacco mosaic. There was no significant difference in the adverse effects of the two viruses, one being as destructive as the other. The loss in income caused by the viruses was estimated at approximately $114 per acre, the loss in yield approximating 3.4 hundredweights per acre.