Well, I was writing a reply opposing your post, when I suddenly realized
that I agree with it, LOL!!

It could be that these are over cloned, or over hybridized (like Cocker
Spaniels or German Shepards) - we are seeing all the defects).

Andy Easton once said that companies aren't checking for vigor in the
individuals they choose to clone, they just clone 'em. So it may very well
be that they have been strained to the point of breaking.

Virus is still spread with gamete exhange (how's that as a word for normal
sex?) I think what you are thinking of is the difference betweeen green pod
harvest technique and dry pod harvest technique where no moist tissue from
the parent is cut into while harvesting seed (and hence virus from that
tissue contaminates the seed) Or that's my understanding of the difference -
I'll bow to someone elses' superior knowledge.

K Barrett

"Xi Wang" wrote in message
news:gsWKd.208289$8l.16396@pd7tw1no...
I, too, have found a number of my plants concealing viruses...I wonder
if their prevalence can be attributed primarily to the fact that we
clone so much. I read somewhere that if a plant is created the old
fashioned way, i.e. male + female gametes, the virus will not be passed
on. Thus, viruses I imagine would not be transmitted as much in nature.
As well, when a plant has 16 generations of hybridizations under its
belt, it might make it genetically unstable, and possibly more
susceptible to infection?

Cheers,
Xi