UPDATE 26 Nov. '00
- Contribution by Dr. C. Mohanan - Scientist, Forest Pathology Division,
KFRI, Peechi,
KERALA, INDIA. Dr. C. Mohanan was commissioned by INBAR
in 1993 to gather and review information for the publication
"Diseases of Bamboos in Asia".
A brief outline on the Bamboo
Mosaic Disease and its Economic Significance
Bamboo Mosaic - Mosaic
disease affecting the emerging and growing culms and foliage has been
reported from Taiwan-China. The disease affects the two major
cultivated species - Dendrocalamus latiflorus and Bambusa oldhamii and
about 70-80 % disease incidence have been reported by many workers. In
India also I have noticed the mosaic infection, but in young 1-year old
seedlings.
Symptoms - Infection causes mosaic symptoms in
foliage and internal streaking and discolouration in affected tissues of
the supple culms. Infected culms exhibit poor growth and their
internodes become shortened. The emerging shoots (culms) show hard
texture and hence are of low quality for eating and canning. Causal
organism: Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) belongs to the potex virus group is
a flexuous rod shaped virus of 480-500 nm in length Infection Process:
BaMV has no insect vectors (not reported so far) and is likely to be
transmitted through mechanically, as well as through vegetative
propagation materials. The virus proliferates in the affected
culms and rhizome tissues. The affected tissues become hard in
texture and discoloured and become not suitable for edible purpose.
Immunological detection of BaMV antigen by tissue blotting showed that
most cultivated bamboo species in Taiwan are susceptible to the disease,
especially bamboos with pachymorph rhizomes including Bambusa and
Dendrocalamus.
Disease Control - The large scale use of
vegetative propagules from the disease prone areas resulted in epidemic
spread of the disease in Taiwan. Avoiding vegetative propagation
material from disease affected culms and areas is required. Also
strict quarantine measures to restrict the movement of the diseased
materials is needed. Planting disease resistant bamboo is also looked
into (Dendrocalamus giganteus, D. strictus are disease resistant).
Economic Importance - Mosaic disease has
affected the bamboo edible shoot production and the canning industry in
Taiwan.
I hope the information will be useful to you and the
bamboo growers in Australia. I have visited China and
observed disease in one of the bamboo farm near Nanjing and Yiesing.
However I couldn't visit Taiwan. Pl. convey the message to the growers
if it is worth.
With Warm regards
Dr. C. Mohanan
UPDATE 14 Nov. '00
- Eric Boa of CABI
offers this help - "I don't think we're going to make much more progress on diagnosis and
understanding of BaMV until we do more research. I'm not sure who would be
willing to fund this, but we would be able to diagnose, without charge,
samples sent from developing countries. More specifically, these would have
to be developing countries that are a priority to the Department for International Development, part of the UK government. These include India,
China, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam - so perhaps you could ask people
via your website to get in touch with our plant clinic: plant.clinic@cabi.org
"
UPDATE 1
NOV 2001 -