General situation
Almost all tomatoes are now in the ground. New TSWV infections will cause more yield loss in later than earlier plantings since the younger the plant is when it is infected, the more severe the disease will be. TSWV is only likely to reduce yields when infection occurs during or before fruit set.
Plant infected during early bloom exhibiting severe symptoms. This plant will likely die before it produces fruit.
Thrips population and outlook
We're currently at peak adults in generation 3. Those adults will be laying eggs, which means for the next few weeks generation 4 juveniles will be hatching and feeding. Generation 4 adults are set to peak on July 2nd. If you're seeing spread of TSWV in younger fields and are considering spraying, the next few weeks will be the most effective time to do it.
Professor Bob Gilbertson's virology team at UC Davis is working towards understanding the two new resistance-breaking strains of TSWV that are common in the Sacramento Valley. If you see plants with symptoms that look like TSWV, give me a call-- I'm interested in getting samples. We'd also like to understand if these strains are able to break resistance in peppers, so would like to get samples from symptomatic peppers as well.