The Frequency of Viral Infections on Two Narcissus Plantations in Central Poland

Viral diseases in narcissus can drastically affect yields and quality of narcissus bulbs and flowers, leading even to a total crop loss. To test the frequency of viral infections in production fields in Central Poland, samples were collected over three years from two cultivars and two plantations, and tested for the presence of Arabis mosaic (ArMV), Cucumber mosaic (CMV), Narcissus latent (NLV), Narcissus mosaic (NMV) and the potyvirus group using the Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay. Potyviruses, NLV and NMV were detected in almost all leaf samples in both cultivars, in all three years of testing. Other viruses were detected in a limited number of samples. In most cases mixed infections were present. Tests on bulbs have shown the presence of potyviruses and NMV, with the higher number of positives in cultivar ‘Carlton’. In addition, for most viruses an increase in their detectability was observed on both plantations in subsequent seasons.