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Old 11-04-2013, 11:17 PM posted to rec.gardens
Frank Miles Frank Miles is offline
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Default Are there virus resistant squash seeds? Virus killing mysquash!

On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:37:11 -0700, Red wrote:

On Apr 11, 7:20Â*am, Pat Kiewicz wrote:
goldtech said:



Hi,


I think there's a virus killing my winter and summer squash. The
leaves have yellow spots and they are curling, growth is stunted.


Does anyone know a source of non-gmo virus resistant seeds? Or variety
names I can search for that are resistant?


Infected plants should be removed immediately. Virus can be spread from
plant to plant during handling, so thorough cleanup after handling
infected plants is neccessary.

If it is Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV), all commercially available
cultivars are susceptible. Â*There are no resistant varieties. Â*Some
varieties of summer squash with the "precocious yellow" gene are
described as resistant, but the "resistance" is only in the sense that
the fruit is less likely to show the discoloration typical of the
virus.

Winter weeds like chickweed can act as a reservoir for CMV and carry it
in their seeds. Â*A number of perennial weeds can act as a reservoir for
CMV.

Aphids are the main vector for the virus (early in the season). Aphids
are also the vectors for Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV), which, like
CMV, overwinters in weeds.

Perennial weeds suspected of acting as reservoirs for the viruses
mentioned include black nightshade, milkweeds, and some clovers and
other legumes.

Controlling aphids and eliminating problematic weeds is your primary
defense against these viruses.

Squash Mosaic Virus is seed-born in muskmelons and cucumber beetles
carry it (as well as bacterial wilt disease) to other curcurbits.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Yes, swooping is bad."

email valid but not regularly monitored


Good information Pat. Since you sound like an extension agent I have
another issue for your input.

I use 13-13-13 fertilizer for my vegetable garden and this year I ran
into a questionable issue. The bags content lists NPK as 13% each but
also sulfur 8% and chlorine 'up to 13%'. No one seemed to know why they
started adding these additional components to a 'standard' fertilizer.
I e-mailed the question to the manufacturer who forwarded it to the
plant manager. The plant manager's response was "Sulfur is being added
because of the reduction in it's emission in industrial smokestacks due
to lawsuits, and plants need sulfur. The chlorine is the byproduct of
preparing muriate of potash. It can be used in vegetable planting but
not with tobacco planting".

So my question was answered why it was added to their product but not
how it would affect vegetables. Chlorine is usually listed as a plant
micronutrient but 'up to 13%' is definitely not 'micro'. And if it is
absorbed by tobacco plants is it also absorbed by vegetables? I'm
wondering if extension service agents are aware of, or looking into,
these changes.


Speculation - the chlorine was probably always in there, but a labeling
requirement let you know about it instead of keeping it hidden.

Think of it this way - you don't want pure potassium. Dangerously
reactive and probably unusable by your plants. So you get (one
possibility) potassium chloride or chlorate - likely hydrated. Or
potassium sulfide, or phosphate (perhaps laws against that too).

Some fertilizers have used mining slag with heavy metals. You have to be
careful what you're putting into your soil, especially if you're going to
be eating from it, or your kids might play in it.