(Clockwise from top left) Nun’s hood orchid (Phaius tankervilleae), plant pathology and horticulture students testing for mosaic and orchid ring spot viruses, and the orchid plant pathology testing kit and materials used by the students. | Brandon Hopper, Diane Mays, Alisha Ray, and North Carolina State University
Recently at North Carolina State University, Dianne Mays and Alisha Ray of the Department of Horticultural Science welcomed Jennie Fagen, of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, and her Principles of Plant Pathology class. This partnership with Fagen presented Mays and Ray with an opportunity to “focus on the academic aspects of their work with another department,” thereby improving and benefitting their own work in the greenhouse.
Collaboration in Fox Greenhouses
Mays and Ray work in the greenhouses behind the Marye Anne Fox Science Teaching Laboratory. An ongoing challenge to combat in their work includes that of plant viruses. This collaboration allowed Fagen’s class to “test around 32 orchids for two viruses,” orchid ring spot and Cymbidium mosaic virus, both of which cause further problems when implementing disease and pest control measures.
Fagen’s lab conducts testing on an annual basis as part of the class, but this year, “the Department of Horticultural Science supplied the plant material and lab space,” while “the class provided the testing kits and conducted the testing directly in the greenhouse.”
The testing was performed with the orchids composted, “providing a safer environment for the healthy ones to thrive.”
“It’s not a bad thing because we can rebuild knowing our collection is clean,” says May.
Post-Testing Plans and Procedures
The need for testing isn’t complete once the orchids are accounted for. “It is essential to check not only orchids but also countless other plants that enhance the beauty of the conservatory. This process could be ongoing, year after year.”
Therefore, Fagen is interested in continuing the collaboration, both with the department’s orchid collection and possibly with other plants in the conservatory.
“Keeping the conservatory disease-free would allow us to then simply test new, incoming plants and retain current sanitization practices,” says Mays. “In all, it would be far easier to keep diseases out of the conservatory and the plants healthy and flowering.”
For additional information on the preparation and methods of disease testing performed by the class, as well as future thoughts on collaboration from those involved, please read the original article from Issac Lewis found here.
