Hi all (esp. you Ted!),
Was reading the 2004 NZ Annual, and mulling a conversation I had with a concerned society member:
Is it possible to transmit yellow stripe virus from infected bulbs to good bulbs when shoveling out the infected ones, by means of having broken roots make contact?
In the NZ article, it mentions Dave Karnstedt’s contention that the virus can be transmitted by handling foliage.
So if you can transmit it via handling leaves, can you transmit it via root sap on your shovel?
Also, assuming that root sap carries virus, about how long would the virus(es) remain viable, either in the dirt on the shovel or in the roots left in the ground?
Enquiring minds want to know~
-s
I would bet the answer is yes, but I would expect the roots to die back most of the time without sharing the virus, I would also guess that cutting another bulb with that shovel would give it the virus, and further I expect that the dilution rule of five would apply- after five more thrusts through the soil there would not be enough virus to matter … assuming that the piece of bulb was lost before the next cut into soil?
John Beck