Bambusa beecheyana and Bamboo Mosaic Potexvirus

[Mark Meckes]

We found out last year that our Bambusa beecheyana plant, and possibly all B. beecheyana plants in the US are infected with BaMV.
In our climate (Central Texas) this plant usually gets the top portion winter killed, but it comes back each year with new growth, albiet, virus infected.

It has never produced enough new shoots to try harvesting them for consumption, and to see if the virus affects shoot quality and taste ...

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/583/thumbs/BbchyBAMv050929-057.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2496) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/583/thumbs/BbchyBAMv050929-062.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2495) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/583/thumbs/BbchyBAMv050929-067.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2494)

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/583/thumbs/BbchyBAMv050929-063.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2493) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/583/thumbs/BbchyBAMv050929-074.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2492) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/583/thumbs/BaMv-Bbchy040830-57.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=1415)

Questions ...
Is it recommended to destroy this plant?

The American Bamboo Society 2005 Source List has 15 sources available for this plant from it's membership.

Does this mean that there are virus free plants now being made available?

Or is there a consensus that it is acceptable to sell and distribute Bambusa beecheyana with Bamboo Mosaic Potexvirus.

(Our plant was purchased a 1/2 doz years ago from a Bamboo Society fund-raising plant sale)

~ Mark

[tharlow]

Mark,

I don't think there is consensus within the ABS regarding the seriousness of BMV. I would not be surprised if some are knowingly selling infected plants with or without disclosure of the infection. On some infected species they have successfully tissue cultured non-infected plantlets.

In the FL Carribean Chapter, Robert Saporito would be one who could best argue both sides of the BMV issue while Mark Caspermeyer tends to take all diseases quite seriously (from mites to BMV). Either would know a lot more than I do about BMV.

--Tom