Virus transmission in Amaryllid seeds?

Tony Avent tony@plantdelights.com
Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:55:13 PDT
Alberto:

It has become common practice in the US for several of the larger 
nurseries to virus index and clean all plants that they sell.  This can 
be done either via hot water/tissue culture or chemically.  The cost is 
typically between $1000 and $2500 per plant, so small nurseries often 
cannot afford the cost...it all depends on the financial return that the 
plant will generate.  On some plants, the only difference between a 
clean plant and an infected one is the lack of leaf streaks, while in 
other plants, original vigor is restored.  Unfortunately, many plants 
easily get reinfected when grown outdoors.  The current amount of virus 
testing has shown that a significant number of the plants that we all 
grow in our gardens are infected with at least one virus, but unless the 
virus causes a significant problem such as disfigurement of vigor loss, 
most folks never suspect a problem.  It's only the plants that show 
symptoms that cause gardeners to get upset.

Alberto Castillo wrote:
> Seeds are fortunately the only common way to obtain virus free material, but there is no way to propagate clean material of the immense number of hybrids/varieties around that are infected. Sadly.
>
>  
>
>  
>
> Regards
>  
>   
>> From: mikemace@att.net
>> To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
>> Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:56:00 -0700
>> Subject: [pbs] Virus transmission in Amaryllid seeds?
>>
>> This discussion of possible viruses in x Amarcrinum reminded me of some
>> discussions we had in the past about viruses in some Amaryllis "Multiflora"
>> bulbs.
>>
>> Was there ever a consensus on whether viruses can be transmitted through the
>> seeds of amaryllids that have fleshy seeds? I'm just wondering how much
>> risk there is when we trade them around.
>>
>> Mike
>> San Jose, CA
>>
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-- 
Tony Avent
Plant Delights Nursery @
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, North Carolina  27603  USA
Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F
Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F
USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
email tony@plantdelights.com
website  http://www.plantdelights.com/
phone 919 772-4794
fax  919 772-4752
"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent


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