Virus infected phalaenopsis ?

[Ray]

I have heard that almost all phals are virused.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that humans carry "some" trace of probably every pathogen to which we have been exposed, but our bodies maintain an equitable balance on them UNLESS something stresses us and allows that to become unbalanced. Might there not be a similar situations in plants?

As Fini Shell stated, it is possible for a plant to be infected yet totally asymptomatic - and be that way for years.

[goodgollymissmolly]

Good point Ray. I know that I have many species Phals that are not infected with CMV or TRV, but as for hybrid Phals I'm guessing that only those done by US hobbyist hybridizers like the members of IPA have any chance of being virus free.

Probably the worst case of viruses is in the Cattleya genus where many of the species and hybrids are decendents from the cut flower plants that were commercially cut by common tools and essentially 100% infected. I have a C mendelii that is free of CMV and TMV (according to the Agdia strip and the two viruses it tests for). I'm guarding it.

As to asymptomatic....that's the problem....most cases show no visible signs of infection, but that does not mean that the virus is not living off the plant and thus preventing it from achieving its full potential of growth and beauty.

The real issue is that most hobbyists are just moving through the hobby and on to the next attention deficit hobby. They really don't care about longer range issues and thus hinder remedies. Paying big bucks for a plant is no guarantee of virus free. Just look at the prices paid for many old Catt hybrids and species. BUT...buying low cost, big box plants is practically a guarantee that you will be buying a virus that can and often does contaminate your other plants. This not just an orchid issue. If anything its worse in many other plants.

[Stringa]

Originally Posted by cb977

I agree

Although viruses do exist, they aren't very common.

Really? Viruses are not common even among smokers?

Hey! I think I may have met you once when I was in Tampa. I brought a bunch of my sick flowers for the "orchid doctors" to look at. They told me to toss a few away, but one of the judges took one of my paphs to try and recover. It was a rare clone. Or cultivar? I am not sure whether to call a Phal a clone or cultivar.

[Ray]

The two words are not synonymous, although they are commonly used that way.

A clone is an exact, genetically-identical copy produced asexually.

A cultivar - cultivated variety - is simply an individual that has been identified as being different from others of the same species or hybrid due to some unique characteristic.

Good cultivars are often cloned, and theoretically a clone cannot have a cultivar as they are identical, but sometimes genetic "hiccups" occur in the cloning process that do lead to variations.

Paphs are - as far as I've read - the only orchids that have not been cloned, or if they have, it is uncommon and difficult.