Rose Mosaic Virus

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A couple more I have found for thought

This RRD is very serious, I am collecting data and going to write a paper to submit to AQIS about this. I think all rose material comming into Australia from the USA should be banned. The vector is the eriophyid mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphylus), but who is to say another vector may find a way of spreading it here in Australia. I think it is a real nasty piece of work and should be avoided at all cost for the sake of our Australian rose industry

Oh forgot this: the did not try and stop it spread, it was used to control feral R. multiflora through out their regions, now its out of control over there.

Rose Rosette Disease: An Old Disease Causing New Problems
Posted by:
Joe Bischoff
Cultivated roses are facing a growing challenge from Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), a native pathogen that only in recent years has shown its potential to negatively impact landscape and garden rose varieties. RRD causes a variety of odd-looking symptoms including peculiar red growth, excessive thorniness, elongated shoots, deformed blooms, pliable canes and often leads to the eventual death of the plant. The disease was first recognized in the 1940s but was never fully characterized. Based on some similarities to other better defined pathogens it's believed to be caused by a virus or plant specialized bacterium called a phytoplasma and spread by an eriophyid mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphylus). The disease is likely endemic to the continental U.S. and causes no visible symptoms in some native species of Rosa, such as R. setigera and R. palustris.

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) is particularly susceptible to RRD and it's decades long march, as an invasive plant, across much of the continental U.S. has likely been the source of inoculum and responsible for spreading the disease. Contaminated mites are easily blown from wooded or forest edges where the diseased plants may reside to nearby landscape and nursery plants. Multiflora Rose is so susceptible and the disease is so destructive that some interested in controlling the plant considered using RRD as a biological control against Multiflora Rose.

Eradication of Multiflora Rose from surrounding areas and the use of pesticides that kill the vectoring mites are currently the best defenses against this problematic pathogen. However, the long term resolution of this issue will likely rely on breeding new cultivars with disease resistant lines. Fortunately, federal, academic, and industry researchers are collaboratively working on this effort and intend to make any new developments available to growers and consumers. We will be sure to share new information and resources as they become available.

For descriptions of the symptoms and useful images check out the following disease reports:
Kansas State University
Virginia Cooperative Extension

Warren is it only the USA that has it ? could it not be in Europe/Great Britain as well

cannot find any reference yet
only the USA thank god

With the amount of cut flowers coming in from overseas we will probably have it here in the future.

I have been a beekeeper for many years and witnessed two new invasions and a third just off in New Guinea and New Zealand. It's difficult to stop things like these with international travel and worst of all containers. The Small Hive Beetle started in Richmond near the RAAF Air Base.
Could have been a simple thing like mud on aircraft wheels or fruit picked up for consumption of the crew on the way back and then thrown out on a rubbish dump after landing.
Lets hope we don't have a similar story regarding rose diseases.