The Rugose Virus Threat – Will it Affect Your Spring Crops?

Tomatoes infected with the Rugose virus. Photo courtesy of HortiDaily.

By now, you may of heard of the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV), referred to more simply as “Rugose”. It is a viral disease that predominately impacts tomato plants, but also peppers, leaving fruit damaged and unmarketable.

It was first detected in Israel in 2014 but has now been found in parts of North America.

If you are a Canadian ornamental grower that ALSO grows tomato liners as part of your spring crop selection, or if you grow ORNAMENTAL PEPPERS, here is what you need to know regarding Rugose symptoms, prevention and more importantly, regulations.

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99 Poinsettia Problems: Your Monthly Scouting Guide

JF14 — This post on poinsettia problems was contributed to by Drs. Chevonne Dayboll and Sarah Jandricic.

Okay, so Poinsettia don’t really get that many problems. But when issues arise, they can hit a crop fast and hard. Whitefly, Lewis mite, root rots, and nutritional issues can all quickly derail a quality crop.

Here’s a month by month guide on what you should be looking for to prevent small problems from becoming big issues.

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Mealybugs…on poinsettia??

MB on stems — Citrus mealybug feeding on a flower stem.

Last year several consultants and I noticed something strange. A number of greenhouses in Ontario had noticeable infestations of mealybug in their poinsettia crop. This was the first time many in their 25+ year careers had seen this (e.g. see Mel Sawaya’s article in Greenhouse Canada Magazine).

It’s unclear yet if phenomenon will repeat itself this year (or perhaps affect even more operations), but growers should be on the lookout for this pest. Keep reading for more information about the potential cause of these mealybug infestations, and possible solutions.

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