Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) belongs to the genus Begomovirus within the Geminiviridae family, and is exclusively transmitted by the whitefly species Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) (Gennadius). It is an emerging virus which since the 1980's has globally spread over many tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean countries. By now it has even reached such isolated places as La Reunion, an island situated in the south-western part of the Indian Ocean. Since its first introduction in 1997, the virus has spread quickly throughout this island, becoming a great constraint for tomato cultivation. At the same time an upsurge of white flies was reported on vegetable crops