Nerine Virus X
J.E. Shields (Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:40:40 PST)

Ten or more years ago, the late Sir Peter Smithers claimed that there must
be an endogenous, latent plant virus in Nerine sarniensis. The reason for
this was that feeding Nerine (broadleaf species and hybrids) with
nitrogen-containing fertilizers caused them to exhibit leaf markings
characteristic of viral infections. This could also, as far as I can
recall now, lead to decline and perhaps death of the "infected" plants.

In my Google Scholar search on Amaryllidaceae, the following entry popped up:
http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/ICTVdB/…

This virus might not be whatever was causing the effects that Sir Peter
described. This one grows only sparsely in Nerine sarniensis. It does
much better in Agapanthus. It must be transmitted mechanically, not being
passed through pollen, seeds, or casual contact between leaves. The name
applied is Nerine Virus X but it has also been called Agapanthus Virus X.

Best wishes,
Jim Shields
in chilly central Indiana (USA)

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