Detection of Cymbidium mosaic virus and Odontoglossum ringspot virus in Phalaenopsis in Korea

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of virus infection in Phalaenopsis cultivated across the country. RT-PCR analysis was used to detect two major viruses in orchid: CymMV and ORSV. The virus infection rate of in vitro plantlets from 45 cultivars was 83.6%, and the rate of potted plants from 21 cultivars was 92.5%. For CymMV, single infection in in vitro plantlets was 34.3%, and for ORSV, it was 11.4%. In the case of potted plants, single infection with CymMV was 57.0%, and ORSV alone was not detected. For double infection with both viruses, in vitro plants accounted for 37.9% and potted plants for 35.5%. No infection with both viruses was found in in vitro plantlets with ‘V3’ imported from Taiwan. Plants infected with CymMV showed chlorotic and necrotic spots on leaves and color break in petals and sepals of flowers, and those infected with both CymMV and ORSV featured yellow striped or mosaic symptoms. Additional key words: CymMV, DN method, in vitro plantlets, ORSV, potted plants, RT-PCR