Blc. Brazos Zephyr Off to the judging table

[madphrag]

It had a few odd marks on a couple flowers. Well suspicion confirmed, color break. Now it's off to the incinerator. I will miss it dearly.

Oh no! My heart goes out Jeff. That's gotta hurt, (dammit).

[etex]

That really sucks- it looked like a great plant and blooms. Was just reading about color breaks in Orchids.

[Daethen]

You are kidding about the incinerator, aren't you? I am not at a level that I care that much about award quality and I think it is georgeous!!

[pavel]

It had a few odd marks on a couple flowers. Well suspicion confirmed, color break. Now it's off to the incinerator. I will miss it dearly.

That stinks, Jeff. Suppose you could have it tested for virus just to make sure before you destroy it.

You are kidding about the incinerator, aren't you? I am not at a level that I care that much about award quality and I think it is georgeous!!

No, Jonada, he's not kidding. Color break is often indictative of a virus. Unlike animals, once infected with a virus a plant is forever infected with it as they lack an immune system like ours to destroy the pathogen. Keeping a virused orchid poses too many risks to the rest of one's collection to make it worth taking the chance. Viruses can be transmitted by insects or even water splashing from the infected plant onto a healthy plant.

[Daethen]

Thanks for the info. I would have given it a home in a second and then maybe lost all my babies.

[Kmac]

I am so sorry....such a beautiful plant too.

[phytochrome]

Show us the ribbons!

[Halloamey]

No, Jonada, he's not kidding. Color break is often indictative of a virus. Unlike animals, once infected with a virus a plant is forever infected with it as they lack an immune system like ours to destroy the pathogen. [/QUOTE]

That is not completely true, even though the plants lack an immune system like animals they have their own ways like short interfering RNAs, micro RNAs and competing enzymes.

Jeff If you want to save the plant, you can have it mericloned, many a times the newest forming apical tissue is free of virus, because the there is a unidirectional flow from the apical region. There are also some treatments you can give explants with a low virus count.