ISHS Acta Horticulturae 164: VI International Symposium on Virus Diseases of Ornamental Plants
RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF PELARGONIUM VIRUSES IN CUTTING NURSERIES |
| Authors: | W. Welvaert, G. Samyn |
| Abstract:
Viral infections are widely distributed in vegetatively propagated Pelargonium cultivars. Infections causing distinct symptoms or severe losses, such as Pelargonium leaf curl, increasingly tend to disappear, even by mass selection. For other viruses, however, indexation on test plants or serology is necessary for the sanitation of this culture. During the past few years, an increasing number of plants have been found to be infected by a virus isolate characterized as Pelargonium ring pattern virus. This virus seems to be widely distributed in most cultivars throughout different countries, without apparent symptoms. In our experiments, this was the most widely detected virus on Pelargonium. The tolerance that most cultivars have is probably the cause of these frequent infections. In spite of this frequent occurrence, this virus has not been thoroughly investigated. It has a very restricted host range, and is difficult to observe by electron microscopy. This paper deals with the presence of this virus in Pelargonium plants of different cultivars and origins. The possible relationship of this isolate is discussed. | |
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