Good News from Holland

[JoshS]

I receive a weekly email from a growers magazine with news clips about the hort industry. Here's one of this week's news headlines...

Dutch growers take hosta virus X precautions
A group of Dutch horticulture associations announced that Holland growers are taking precautions to ensure the country's hosta exports are free of hosta virus X (HVX), a worldwide problem. A working group, in cooperation with Naktuinbouw (a Dutch inspection service), will survey the nation's production inventories. Since the disease is believed spread only via mechanical means, growers are being advised of cultural methods to limit spread.

Brief and not very much info, but it is good news that HVX is making headlines in magazines targeted at nurseries and growers.

[newtohosta-no more]

Let's hope they remain diligent and are able to tackle this huge problem soon! Thanks for the update.

[Buckeye]

Here is a more complete press release on this. This is good news, but I still expect to see this virus and others floating around in the coming years.

Dutch nursery growers take proactive stance
to prevent spread of Hosta Virus X

The Dutch grower and export industry has reacted quickly to reports received from the US in 2004 about the occurrence of Hosta Virus X or HVX. Committed to preserving their reputation as producers of top quality nursery stock, the Dutch perennial sector took immediate action through the formation of a working group consisting of growers and exporters, with cooperation from Naktuinbouw, the official Dutch inspection service for quality control of propagation material and PPO, the station for applied plant research.

The first step was a survey conducted by PPO and Naktuinbouw to determine the extent of HVX in current production inventories in the Netherlands. Research recently completed by the PPO has made it possible to conduct large scale ELISA tests using either leaf or root samples. As it has been determined that the spread of HVX is through mechanical means only, additional research will look at possible means of spread and potential preventative measures. Preliminary research results are expected in September of this year.

In the interim, all growers have been kept informed of measures to be undertaken immediately to help prevent the further spread of HVX. All material will be visually inspected by Naktuinbouw and suspect material will be destroyed before lifting. Inspections will be more rigorous in the coming year and in the event of widespread infection, growers will be urged to destroy blocks or exclude diseased plants. Dutch growers are also committed to taking advantage of voluntary ELISA testing programs available through the Naktuinbouw. Ongoing testing will also help industry to determine tolerant cultivars. Procedures have been implemented by tissue-culture companies to ensure that mother plants are not infected with HVX.

Hosta Virus X is considered to be a worldwide problem, and there is no clear indication of how or from where this pathogen was introduced. The Dutch industry cautions the horticultural sectors in all parts of the world that the spread of misinformation about HVX is also a serious issue.



Not for publication:
This is a joint press release of the following organizations: Naktuinbouw, PPO (Applied Plant Research), Association of Dutch Perennial Growers, Royal Dutch Wholesalers Association for Flower bulbs and Nursery stock.

[JoshS]

Thanks, Buckeye...hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come!

[Hosta Lady of Anoka]

Good news on HVX (only found in hosta), but TRV (Tobacco Rattle Virus) also come from Northern Europe and not native to the USA according to Dr. Ben Lockhart...(he stated until proven wrong). He spent over 2 hours in my gardens today.This is my personal gardens....He also checked my hosta that I have for sale and did NOT find anything!!!!!! TRV is not just in hosta, but all other plants. Transfered by nematodes in the soil (not the same ones that cause foliar nematode damage, tho). Dicentra and Peony were plants that I remember he mentioned as typically having TRV......Dr. Lockhart took a few samples of Hosta, but was more interested in the non-hosta items.......Sandy soil is worse for TRV because it likes the oxygen typical of sandy soils. I hope to hear back from him later this week......I would like to know what Holland has to say about this one.......klas Hosta Lady of Anoka

[Chris_W]

I've seen TRV in Epimedium and an unknown virus in Asclepias incarnata. The important thing is to recognize these things and destroy them - that's part of what being a nurseryman is all about. Unfortunately with the vast number of plants being produced in Holland these things crop up. Nobody else in the world produces so many different plants, and problems do occur. I think the HVX scare is getting everyone thinking outside the box a lot more.

[Liselotte]

What about Tomato ringspot virus?
Although my samples sent to Dr. Lockhart last fall did not show any traces of HVX, my control sample was infected by tomato ringspot virus? The plants in question are still sitting in isolation but show no signs of disease and look healthy. 10 plants of Gypsy Rose were expensive and I hate to throw them out until I know more. What should I do??

[Hosta Lady of Anoka]

I am not an expert, but I talked to Dr. Lockhart about Tomato ringspot virus. He said it is native to the USA and just another virus we have to "deal" with. Maybe someone knows if any product controls it.

Dr. Lockhart did tell me that chemical Marathon 1% granules will control the nematode that causes Tobacco Rattle Virus. But once the hosta has it, can't be cured......

klas

[wishiwere]

A curiosity here, but I was always told not to smoke or others too while tending plants, b/c the tobacco on the hands and in the butts carry 'tobacco virus' also. Is this true does anyone know?

[thy]

A couples of months have passed away...and I have heard nothing here...even if I have my ears to the jungle drums

If they really wanted to be serious they had to tell European nurseries and wholesalers...and make a lab for the rest of us to get samples tested

And, I do not like the we have been quick and we are innicent part of the story....

Any news ???

Pia

[Chris_W]

Hi Pia,

I haven't heard anything encouraging lately. The final tests of the year we ran were not encouraging either. We had 100 Patriot, 100 Minuteman, and 50 Halcyon from Holland test positive. I am still trying to sort out who received the Halcyon from us, as we only sent a few and the rest came from our own stock until we ran out. The same plants from the same company last year tested negative so we thought they were "safe". We know better now.

It seems that many growers in Holland agree that there is a problem but are still treating it by only removing the obviously virused looking plants and selling the rest. Until the word gets out to the nurseries that are buying these plants they will just keep selling the bad ones.

The promise is to have virus free plants in 2007 or 2008, but if they have any virused plants around at all I fear that it will just keep spreading to the new plants too. So for now we are only growing from tissue culture and testing everything. We are tired of surprises from the Holland stock

Wish I had better news.

Talk to you more later,

Chris

[thy]

Just talked to Jan van den Top from Holland. He told me Marco Fransen and he have started their own fight against HVX. He have had more than 800 samples tested since August and will continue to do tests of all new hostas and keep them separated for the a time
They could not say they were 100 % free of HVX, but 99 %
I do not think we will ever get rid of it 100%, so it is fine for me.
He even include HV information on his website, so good news from Europe

Pia