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Disease Detection and Losses

Effects of Chrysanthemum Stunt, Chlorotic Mottle, Aspermy and Mosaic on Flowering and Rooting of Chrysanthemums. R. K. Horst, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; R. W. Langhans(2), and S. H. Smith(3). (2)Professor, Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; (3)Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Phytopathology 67:9-14. Accepted for publication 8 June 1976. Copyright © 1977 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-67-9.

Chrysanthemum stunt, chlorotic mottle, mosaic, and aspermy were investigated for their effect on fresh weight, flower diameter, and stem length of 10 cultivars of Chrysanthemum morifolium. Chlorotic mottle, mosaic, and aspermy significantly reduced growth of tested cultivars; however, stunt reduced growth more severely than did the other diseases. Vegetative propagation of cuttings from inoculated chrysanthemums was quite variable; however, root initiation consistently was reduced in stunt-affected plants. Visible symptoms of infections generally were not apparent in the vegetative growth of chrysanthemums, which emphasized the continued need for virus- and viroid-indexing programs conducted by commercial propagators.