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thrills

This doesn't look good

thrills
9 years ago

Last year I purchased Iobelle and it is now exhibiting this unsettling yellowing of the leaves. This looks suspiciously like the descriptions of rose mosaic virus. :(

I have just ventured into rose growing in zone 5 (lured into it by all the gorgeous pictures here!) aside from one knockout rose I have had since moving here almost 5 years ago. Is this a common problem among roses? Should I dig out the whole plant or just prune off branches? I may be paranoid, but the lower leaves look slightly yellow to me as well. This rose pretty much died down to the soil line this last cold winter. I purchased three other roses from the same supplier but they exhibit no signs of this yellowing. Are they likely to also be infected?

Thank you for and info/advice .

Comments (5)

  • michaelg
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The big leaflet in the lower right corner definitely shows symptoms of virus. 'Iobelle' is one of the roses bred by Dr. Griffith Buck in the 1950s-70s. These are generally good for zone 5, but most varieties were infected with virus by discount rose producers. Today, probably clean specimens can be bought from Pickering Nurseries in Canada. Also, Roses Unlimited has a lot of Buck roses that were previously virused, but RU has been gradually cleaning up their stock. I would ask Pat Henry which Buck roses age thinks are clean.

    But many US producers are still selling virused roses. Other Iobelles from the same producer are very likely to be virused.

    Opinions differ on whether it is OK to keep a rose known to be virused. Most rose people think it is OK. Henry Kuska here on GWeb thinks it is not OK. These roses will usually survive and bloom with the visible symptoms coming and going. Virus may contribute to winter kill.

  • henry_kuska
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The following was stated: "Opinions differ on whether it is OK to keep a rose known to be virused. Most rose people think it is OK."

    H.Kuska comment. Michaelg gives the above information without knowing which virus and which virility strain your plant has. Plants have an immune system against common viruses. At least some of the viruses that attack roses have a temperature dependent immune system. At higher temperature the immune system is relatively effective in controlling those infections. Since you are in zone 5, I would expect that experiences of southern rose growers (which appear to be the "most rose growers" that Michaelg is referring to) would not be applicable. There also is a northern rose grower here who inherited virused roses from parents. These are doing fine - but there are different strengths of virility even within a single type of virus and different roses have different strengths of immune systems, so that does not tell you how many roses the parents lost to viruses before the present plants were left. I suggest that you check with the older rose growers in your local rose society for their long term experience.

    If you are interested in what appears in the most recent reviewed scientific publication on the possibility of spread of two of the more common rose viruses, PNRSV and ApMV, this is a quote:

    "PNRSV is known to be transmitted mechanically, by root grafting and by seed (Abdel-Salam et al. 2008; Golino et al. 2011). The virus may be transmitted by pollen in rose although this hasn’t been fully ascertained (Kuska 2003). The high incidence of PNRSV in New Zealand is unsurprising as it is also vectored by the Western flower thrip (Frankliniella occidentalis) which is reportedly spread throughout New Zealand (Greber and Teakle 1992; Teulon and Nielsen 2005) and is known to infest many glasshouse crops (E. Milleza, unpublished data). "
    AND
    "Reports of pollen transmission of ApMV in rose are inconclusive (Kuska 2003), but in view of the characteristics of other ilarviruses, it is possible that ApMV could be dispersed by pollen."
    ------------------------------------------------------
    The reference that they cite is: "Kuska H (2003) Can North American rose hybridizers use pollen from virus infected roses? Rose Hybridizers Assoc Newsl 34:7-10"

    Please note that for a statement to appear in a reviewed scientific publication, it has to be the thinking of the authors, plus it has to be approved by normally at least 3 of their scientific peers (the reviewers) and by the editor of the journal.
    -------------------------------------------------
    http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13313-012-0191-x#page-1

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Rose Spring Dwarf Virus (RSDaV)
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/rose_spring_dwarf_virus.htm

    High Temperature Effect on PNRSV
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/high_temperature_effect_on_pnrsv.htm

    Can North American rose hybridizers safely use pollen from PNRSV infected roses?
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/rose%20virus%20and%20pollen.htm

    Should northern rose growers be concerned about possible above ground spread of PNRSV?
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/info_about_virus.htm

    Blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus (BCRV)
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/Blackberry%20chlorotic%20ringspot%20virus%20(BCRV).htm

    Information about Rose Rosette Disease
    http://home.roadrunner.com/~kuska/rose_rosette_disease_virus.htm

    Here is a link that might be useful: link to 2013 rose virus scientific paper

  • seil zone 6b MI
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you really like the rose keep it and enjoy it for many years to come. The symptoms will only appear from time to time when the rose is otherwise stressed. If it bothers you that much get rid of it. However, you probably won't find another one that isn't virused easily. Iobelle was bred during the time when almost all roses were grafted, mostly to virused Dr. Huey, so there may not be any cleaned stock out there. Mine did succumb to this polar winter but then so did about 60 others. It wintered very well for the first 6 years I had it.

  • roseseek
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Add to all of the above that the majority of the Buck roses were introduced by Roses of Yesterday and Today, a nursery well known for using a contract grower who infamously used infected Dr. Huey root stock to produce everything. Years before the original nursery ceased operations (the current version is owned and operated by descendants of the last original owner/operator, and has little to do with the original other than in name), I visited them and toured their growing grounds. There were hundreds of three gallon, paper pulp potted roses and symptoms in every row of plants. I have personal experience with an Earth Song which was given to the gentleman from whom I obtained it by Dr. Buck himself, at Iowa State. It is virused. The man from whom I obtained it never budded it. He received it infected. So, if you hope to find any of the Buck roses (except, perhaps the later ones introduced in the nineties and later, but no guaranty) uninfected, it's pretty much going to have to be one which has been put through the treatment program somewhere to eliminate RMV. Like the majority of the AARS roses, which came out through Armstrong Roses (and were infected by them), the Bucks came to market infected. I haven't grown one yet which didn't show symptoms in my climate. Kim

  • thrills
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you all for the replies and info. I originally learned of Buck roses on these forums and they seemed well suited for my area as I am in Iowa. At this point, I will keep my eye on it and see whether or not it has reduced vigor and decide what to do from there. I also asked local growers about experiences growing an infected Buck roses here.