I'm so sorry hear of the virus :o( My heart goes out to you and your bulbs. So is the soil uninhabitable now? Can you use that spot again at some point?

I have no idea if any of my bulbs had a virus-- seems that those that looked like they did don't any more. But to be sure, I have stopped sharing any bulbs with people.

Its important to practice safe sharing!

Ryan of Denver.

Ruth,

I'm glad this has been clarified, that leaf for sure looks virued to me.

Ryan,

Most virus may not present all the time, that doesn't mean the plant is virus free. Some plants may never show any symptoms. It's best that you quit sharing just incase :) What you do with your virused plants is totally your descision but it's wonderful that you've made the decision to keep it where it is!

To All,

Like I've said before, bulbs don't typically show signs of nutrient deficencies, they've stored nutrients and sugars for later use. I've talked to several experts on this subject, the only thing that substantially mimics MV is mealy bugs, they'll cause a plant to look very sick. This is a really serious issue, we're trying to keep wild collection down but with such infected plants people will search for alternatives. Virus isn't passed into the embryo of seed but it can be passed by swapping pollen.

Thanks everyone for listening to my rants on this subject, many don't see the harm in virus but just because it doesn't directly affect you doesn't mean it isn't important.

Josh

Many thanks SoCalGal. However I don't see significant difference between the ones that test negative for virus and this one that show filamentatious particles. That is, other than contrast difference.

Pat,

The ELISA testing isn't always accurate, both leaves have virus, the EM picked it up and the ELISA testing didn't. I wonder if Agida didn't test for the correct viruses that inhibit Hippeastrum, it is still not positive all the different viruses that can affect Hippeastrum

Josh

Pat,

The ELISA testing isn't always accurate, both leaves have virus, the EM picked it up and the ELISA testing didn't. I wonder if Agida didn't test for the correct viruses that inhibit Hippeastrum, it is still not positive all the different viruses that can affect Hippeastrum

Josh

Agdia tested for specific viruses that, per my googling, were most likely to infect Hippeastrum. Electron microscopy is not so specific. It can tell, by shape, something about the type of virus, but not exactly which one it is. As Josh said, it is most likely that both samples had virus. Either the Agdia test gave a false negative or, more likely, the plant has a virus different than the ones I asked Agdia to look for.
Ruth

Ruth, thanks for posting your results. While disappointing I'm sure, it's very informative. Alana