Cymbidium Mosaic Virus of Orchids

Symptoms

Chlorotic mosaic mottling, sunken necrotic streaks, and diamond-shaped or ringspot lesions on leaves; flowers may show color-breaking streaks. Often symptomless for a long time before flaring under stress.

Cause & development

A well-documented orchid pathogen; recent open-access research (Chen et al., "Intelligent image analysis recognizes important orchid viral diseases," Frontiers in Plant Science, 2022, PMID 36531380; Chang et al., "Development and Application of a Duplex RT-RPA Assay for the Simultaneous Detection of Cymbidium mosaic virus and Odontoglossum ringspot virus," Viruses, 2024, PMID 38675886) covers detection methods for this virus. EPPO code CYMMV0.

Favorable conditions

• •Mechanical transmission via contaminated cutting tools during division or trimming
• •Handling multiple plants without sanitizing tools between them

Management

1. 1Sanitize cutting tools with a bleach or flame treatment between every plant
2. 2Isolate and avoid propagating from infected plants
3. 3Buy from reputable, virus-tested orchid sources — there is no cure once infected