Rose Rosette Disease

General Discussion
1

I’m just an old hobbyist, but there are folks that read what we type that are legends.
I believe the genes required to beat Rose Rosette Disease are in the Native North American Roses.

RBx

2

Hi RBx,

I hope so too. Additionally, R. rugosa seems promising too. There have been some instances some R. setigera plants (that while not overly symptomatic) have tested positive for RRD. Perhaps the virus can still live and multiply to some extent at times in some of these resistant or tolerant roses, but not overtake them too readily. Perhaps such roses could serve as innoculum that mites can spread to the more standard, very susceptible cultivars??

3

An observation on Rosa Setigera: it seemed immune in my area as R. Multiflora showed symptoms and died. And then several years later, mature R. Setigera plants began to die. Although it may not show RRD symptoms, it appears to be susceptible.

4

I work in a public rose garden, and I’m always on the lookout for any RRD symptoms. Among those I’ve found infected is ‘American Pillar’, which has R. setigera as a grandparent. Apparently, when I found it wasn’t the first time – several of this rose have been removed and replanted over the years. So if there truly is any resistance in R. setigera, it didn’t make its way to this grandchild.

:-/

~Christopher

5

I am new to this forum, just a hobbyist that has grown roses in the same place in North Texas for the past 10 years, and would like to provide a couple of data points to members of the forum. My area has a lot of RRD and most of the 75+ rose plants that I have grown have shown symptoms of RRD (and were removed) The following roses have not shown any symptoms for the past 10 years: Lady Banks (double yellow), Lady banks (double white). After reading the article about the greenhouse tests, I purchased a Cl. Stormy Weather rose which has remained symptom free for the past 3 years. I purchased 2 more Cl. Stormy Weather and they have remained symptom free for the past 2 years. All of these non-symptomatic roses were planted in exposed areas in the near vicinity of infected plants, so I am assuming that the same mites that infected those plants would have opportunity to infect these plants as well. Hope that this is helpful information

6

Infection rates out in the open are so random – you might not be aware of where a wind break causes mites to drop in your garden. And that’s just getting the mites on the rose – to spread the infection, the mites would have have fed recently on an infected rose, then get blown into your garden. To truly determine if a rose is resistant requires deliberate infection via grafting.

:slight_smile:

~Christopher