Hippeastrum leaf problem - Help Needed !
Seth J. Wingate (Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:14:41 PST)

Hello again Steven,

PBS has an informative and useful page on Viruses. I hope the link will
show up below (this is my first try on this list).

http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

Yes, unfortunately MV can spread and infect an entire collection. To my
knowledge, there is no effective treatment or cure. Crinums are
susceptible to Crinum mosaic virus. Hippeastrums appear to be
susceptible to several different types of MV (e.g., hippeastrum mosaic
virus, tobacco mosaic virus, and cucumber mosaic virus). I do not know
if the types of virus that attack Hippeastrums can infect Crinums.
Perhaps, someone more expert than I would please enlighten us on this issue.

To date, I have seen no signs of MV in my large collection, but I do
have concerns as some plants may not show any symptoms. I have several
dear friends who have destroyed many (in some cases 200+) precious
Hippeastrum clones and hybrids that displayed clear signs of MV.
Although for them it was a very difficult and heartbreaking decision to
make, I think it was the right thing to do.

As mentioned in a previous thread, H. papilio appears to be resistant to
MV. If the bulbs in question are rare and/or valuable for sentimental
reasons, the PBS page has a suggestion about quarantining the bulbs with
the hope of obtaining virus-free seed before destroying the infected
bulbs. One friend built a cage out of very fine gauge mesh to house
infected bulbs to await one last blooming and pollination attempt prior
to burning them.

In closing, I sincerely hope that MV does not spread to your other
bulbs. I cannot sufficiently stress the importance of obtaining bulbs
from reputable suppliers, keeping your tools and growing areas clean,
vigilantly watching for pests, isolating plants when you introduce them
into your collection until they appear to be free of disease, and
growing your bulbs from seed whenever possible.

Best wishes to you,

Blanca