Re: Mosaic Virus....
Ethan,
I battled mosaic virus back in the late 80s. I tried everything to no
avail. The only way I could grow again was to move. I found in our area the best
place to go was in the upland areas with an elevation of about 1000 feet. The
valley floors seemed to get it first. We would get a slight touch of it very
late in the season which didn't affect the plant that much. Another factor was
that my patch in the valley was surrounded by hay and alfalfa fields (a good
hiding place for the insects that transmit the virus. After the first cutting
the insects habitat was removed and we would have an outbreak as the insects
moved in to the patch. One of my patches had less problems when animals were
allowed to graze the surrounding fields. I'm not sure if the animals left enough
plant material for a habitat , or if by grazing there was not enough grass left
to support a large population of insects. For whatever reason the patches
surrounded by mown fields had more problems earlier. Commuting to your patch is
not great but it beats a dose of virus at fruit set time. I commuted for
years.
Wayne Hackney
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