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The following comments are an addendum to the Virus article written by Jeri Jennings, posted by Tom Liggett in a discussion group as a follow-up to said article: U.C. Davis FPMS has LONG (!!!!!) reported that "virus-free" (read that heat treated/indexed) plants that were grown in insect-segregated greenhouses saw the spontaneous re-occurrence of virus after five years. In my view, there is NO way to remove Mosaic (and mayhaps other) virus(es) from plants once they re infected. Say what you want, but I am a rose grower of long standing that worked in HUGE clinical research labs. Am I infallible? Hardly but I know just how small (and tenacious) some types of viruses are. IF they are not a type of a virus (such as them as cause influenza) that dies as a naturally-occurring end stages a part of its life cycle, then it is in said host organism forever (at least with today's technology). BTW; what some folks that have a vested interest (MONEY!!!!!) in virus in rose say PRIVATELY, is MUCH different from what they say PUBLICLY (don't ask for details on this last part, as I ain't givin' out no names). Tom Also made were the following remarks by Ann Mansker: It's an excellent article, but I have one caveat. There is some evidence that virus could possibly be transmitted plant to plant. I had someone from UCD's Foundation Plant Materials Service come and talk to Sierra Foothills, and he mentioned some preliminary work they were doing to see if virus could be introduced into a plant via unsterilized cutting tools. The work was funded by an association of commercial rose producers, who were puzzled to find low (1 - 2%) but consistent emergence of virused plants in their supposedly clean blocks. FPMS planted rows of R. multiflora (which shows distinct virus symptoms when it's infected), and introduced virus into alternating plants. Over the course of the year, they cut the plants back with hedge trimmers, just going straight across all the plants without regard to their virus status. Over time (not sure if it was one year, or more, can't remember), they found virus in 1 - 2% of the plants which had not been innoculated. I can't remember how they eliminated the possibility of root grafting (maybe the plants were too far apart?), but the speaker indicated that this very limited and preliminary result was cause for thought. Ann M. There
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