Virused Bulbs

Nhu couldn't have said it better. Let's face it, they are diseased and
spreading diseased plant material around the world is not only not a
good idea, it is, of course, prohibited (but, realistically the USDAA
and other government agencies can't possibly control it). Many share
Jerald's view, that virus is not a big deal, many others don't know how
to recognize it, and large commercial growers would be put out of
business if they had to only sell clean stock. There has been a great
deal of effort put in to cleaning up virus in hybrid lilies in the
Netherlands, since over several generations they do seem to weaken, and
we will lose many wonderful hybrids if nothing is done. Small growers
and hobbyists should feel a responsibility to grow virus free stock and
share it. I would be mortified if I thought I had sent out virused
bulbs, and I have, with great regret, destroyed bulbs given to me that
looked suspicious. Grow your bulbs from seed, then you will have virus
free bulbs, and get rid of anything that looks infected. If you don't,
you might be sorry when the virus spreads to other things. And, PLEASE,
don't send virused bulbs to the BX.

Diana
Telos Rare Bulbs

On Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 8:59 AM, Jerald Lehmann <jeraldlehmann@gmail.com>wrote:

Are any bulbs virused in habitat and have been brought into cultivation?
If so, is having that virused bulb really that bad?

In the wild, virused bulbs are weaker than their uninfected counterparts
and tend to be selected out. Therefore the chance of bringing a virused
bulb into cultivation although not impossible, is certainly rare.

As to if it's really bad to have virused bulbs? Absolutely!!

And if a virused bulb can grow and bloom without any signs of loss of
vigor, is having that virused bulb really that bad?

The problem is not with the asymptomatic plant or one without loss of
vigor, but the chance of it spreading to other plants in the collection.
The same virus may not be so bad in one species, but can destroy another.

Viruses can almost come from just about anywhere, such as from the hands
of tobacco users.

That's why we don't let anyone who smokes touch our plants or suggest that
they wash their hands well with soap and warm water before entering the
garden. It's a bit of a social strain, but keeping the collection free of
viruses is priority. We've lost some really old and amazing South African
bulbs due to viruses. Imagine having to dig up and throw out fully mature
Haemanthus nortieri, sanguineus, amarylloides, Brunsvigia herrei, Boophone
haemanthoides and other rare species! It was incredibly heart-wrenching but
had to be done. The plants were infected at some point and each year
produced smaller and smaller leaves and sicker looking plants.

One bad bulb can spoil the rest. You can read more about viruses and how to
keep your collection clean on the wiki Virus page:
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

Nhu
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