Viral infection of tissue cultured orchids and evaluation of damages

Most orchids are propagated by tissue culture. To survey the viral infection of tissue cultured Orchids, total RNA was extracted from in vitro Cymbridium and Phalaenops'ts spp. collected from companies producing tissue-cultured orchids, and RT-PCR analysis was conducted with primer pairs specific to Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV) and Odontoglossum ring spot virus (ORSV), which are infecting wide range of orchid genera. The bulb size of Cymbidium infected with CymMV and ORSV was compared with healthy one at 10 months after planting in vitro orchids in the glasshouse. The CymMV or ORSV infection in 97 Cymbidium and 55 Phalaenops'ts plants was 84.5 and 89.1%, respectively. Mixed infection was found in 52.6 and 47.3% of Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis tested, whereas virus-free orchids were 15.5 and 10.9%, respectively. The CymMV and ORSV reduced the bulb size by 2.7-50% depending on the cultivars of Cymbidium. The both viruses caused yellowing, mottle and mosaic with or without necrosis in 4 Cymbidium cultivars.