Webpage;How to indentify Orchid viruses in orchids

[Ron]

Hi I found this wonderful site on the internet.
I have printed it professionally in to a high grade book
Make life so much easy when you suspect your orchids may have viruses
It opens in a PDF format page.

http://www.icogo.org/images/Dr._Chin...id_Viruses.pdf

[digitalgate]

some picture have fungus as secondary infection or primary infection. So better test the plant with a test kit before concluding it is infected with virus.

[kmarch]

Thanks for this Ron, I think members will find this to be quite useful. It might be worth pointing out that the black spotting shown in a couple of the images, the one on the left on page 21 and the pics on page 22, some of the pics showing lighter spotting on page 24, could potentially be also caused by mite/fungal infections as well. I think it is worth mentioning that this particular symptom is not irrefutable proof of viral infection.

[orchids4me]

Hi Ron thanks for posting this link.
Digital and Kmarch glad you pointed out the other possibilities.

[syndywindy]

Very interesting download, maybe it can be made into a sticky?

[JLu]

Quite a bit interesting here. For one Kevin is right, the visual symptoms shown in this document might be viruses, but many similar visual issues are not viruses. It is dangerous to impossible to diagnose viruses visually because the visual symptoms might be caused by other things AND many virused plants show no visual symptoms at all. If you take this article seriously, you will throw away every plant you own and replace them with (guess what) more virused plants. If you think I don't care about viruses you would be very incorrect. I'm the one who has persistently warned of them and warned of cutting tool sterilization techniques for which there exists no scientific backing of efficacy. Bleach solutions and TSP are two that come to mind for which no scientific evidence of effectiveness exists but horticultural literature and the internet repeated recommend them.

At least in the US, Taiwan is responsible for the millions of cheap mericlones available at big box stores. Many people have said that 100% of Phals at big box stores are virused. That's probably unfair because always and never are numerical terms that are probably not correct, but it is fair to say that cheap Asian mericlones are the worst virus problem with orchid plants in the US. Unfortunately they have contaminated much of the virus free stock.

It's not surprising that Taiwan would want some technical articles indicating they know why their products are virused and implying that they care. They make billions supplying virused plants to the US and I'm sure the publicity might be having a negative impact on their sales. Taiwan is not the only source. The Dutch do their part also, as they have for years since the great tulip disaster. The cheap reproduction of plants via mericloning is a disaster. Not because it had to be, but because producers don't care. Next time you get a cheap plant ask yourself if it's really cheap!

[digitalgate]

i am quite surprised that virus can survive beyond 55C as stated in the article. I thought only bacteria can do that.

[Ron]

For me it is a great book too check out any funny looking plant, I suspect many of the new growers to orchids will use it when purchasing new plants. Save so much heartbreak later on
Now at least if you have a plant that is not quiet happy and has streaks in the leaves, you can compare it with the book photos.
No one is such an expert to claim the can pick it from photos, just as Doctors recommend so many test when you have suspect health.

Yes some orchids carry the virus without any signs of infection, maybe an odd colour break in the flower petals.
One such is Paphiopedilums, many so called good plants have been checked and found to be virus-ed.
Personally I think the Taiwanese government and department of Agriculture are doing a great deal to clean up the rouge nurserys.
Now virtually all exporting under lience have to be checked and conform to the Gov. regulation.
Australian Government just did a big deal with the Taiwanese Gov and Dep. Agg to bring in live Phalaenopsis plants to Australia under a lienced agreement with the Taiwan Gov.
All plants grown virus free and in sterile potting medium!

Our Australian quarantine laws are the toughest in the world

[JLu]

That sounds like Australia might be doing this correctly, Ron, but it sounds like they found exactly what I described and took action against it. Great deal.

Unfortunately in the US we spend our time preventing the import of wild species whose natural habitat is being destroyed. Cultivation could actually save some of those from extinction. At the same time we seem to have no rules to require that imported horticultural products be tested for viruses. It seems the rights of importers to sell crap trumps the rights of consumers to be protected from diseased stock for which they can not hope to test for themselves. We scream free enterprise, but we have nothing against the import of government sponsored products from abroad that kill off our legitimate, domestic producers.

[Ron]

That sounds like Australia might be doing this correctly, Ron, but it sounds like they found exactly what I described and took action against it. Great deal.

we certinally hope they do the right thing.
I will put link in when I can find were I store the web page address (Old age).
Makes very interesting reading

[caitlynstacy]

Hi Ron! Indeed, your post is very useful. I think more orchid growers should be able to identify if their treasured orchids have a disease. This is an important component of caring for orchids.