News » 30.04.2025 - Protecting dragon wing begonia from disease

On a recent visit to a greenhouse, a dragon wing begonia plant caught the eye – it was showing symptoms of some leaf distortion on the new growth along with some mottling (irregular patches of light and dark green colors), and occasional necrotic (dead) patches. Leaf samples were brought back to the lab and tested using an Agdia test strip and were positive for Impatiens spot necrotic virus (INSV).

Luckily, only one plant was showing symptoms – but with a virus that is spread by thrips, this offers little peace of mind in the spring when greenhouses are full and thrips populations are increasing.

To tackle INSV, the first step is being able to recognize and diagnose the problem. You can familiarize yourself with the variety of symptoms through numerous e-Gro Alerts written on the topic. Links are shared on the next page. Getting help with proper diagnosis is the next step, as there can be a number of look-a-like causes. If you are doing your own virus testing with test strips, it's good practice to test for both INSV and the closely-related and also thrips-vectored TSWV.

 

Source: www.flloraldaily.com

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