Where do you get your virus tests?

[lotis146]

I'm finally leaning in to do some virus testing b/c obviously it's a good thing to know. I'd hate to give away or sell any plants I may no longer be interested in in the future that have a virus. I haven't had any reasons to suspect a virus until a recent post showed that some virused Catts have purple spots on the leaves, which I know can also be common and benign, I have a number of Catts that have marked leaves (I believe mine are due to sun exposure). (Among other plant issues I'm having this summer. ) I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt anything other than my wallet at this point, and at least to have some testing on hand.

That said I've not bought any before so I'm wondering where to go. I found Agdia, Inc. on the AOS site. They have test trips that diagnose CymMV & ORSV on one strip. Those are however $42 for 5 strips or $135 for 25.

How do you guys do your testing?

Thanks much!

[Brooke]

Agdia is the only supplier I am aware of that sells test strips. I buy 25 at a time.

The testing is easy to do and you know in 20 minutes if they are virused.

The surprising part to me was I didn't have that many with virus.

Agdia will also test for other known viruses if you send them a sample leaf. It isn't cheap but they are thorough.

Brooke

[tucker85]

I buy the tests from Agdia also. The one I use is ISK 13301 Cymbidium mosaic virus and Odontoglossum ringspot virus. You can get 5 or 25 tests. The test kits need to be kept in the refrigerator. Every cattleya of mine that had severe color break has tested positive so I don't even test them anymore. If they have bad color break on the flowers I throw them out. But there are times when I'm not sure so I use the Agdia tests.

[silken]

We have a lab here in Canada that gets the strips from Agdia so I use the same ones. Also either 5 or 25 with it being a better deal to get the 25. They do need to be kept in the fridge as mentioned and they have an expiry date (mine have usually been close to a year, but not always). So it's nice to split a pack with a friend if you don't need 25. The few I had with colour break on the blooms also tested positive. But most of mine that had black spots or scary looking leaves were negative, so that is likely a fungal or bacterial problem. I also think calcium is helping that. I had lots that tested negative, but some that just didn't grow well, or grew well, but refused to bloom did test positive. They are in orchid heaven now

[lotis146]

Thanks everyone for the reassurance that Agdia is the way to go. The spots on my leaves are mostly of a dark purple nature and from either Jewell Orchids or Fred Clark, though that's not to say ALL my chids are. I'll start with a batch of 25 and take it from there.

Again, thanks.

[Leafmite]

Let us know how it goes. Good luck! I hope they are all free and clear!

[Oscarman]

silken, where in Canada are you ordering them from. It is about time we organized a group order for our society, plus I could use some!

Originally Posted by silken

We have a lab here in Canada that gets the strips from Agdia so I use the same ones. Also either 5 or 25 with it being a better deal to get the 25. They do need to be kept in the fridge as mentioned and they have an expiry date (mine have usually been close to a year, but not always). So it's nice to split a pack with a friend if you don't need 25. The few I had with colour break on the blooms also tested positive. But most of mine that had black spots or scary looking leaves were negative, so that is likely a fungal or bacterial problem. I also think calcium is helping that. I had lots that tested negative, but some that just didn't grow well, or grew well, but refused to bloom did test positive. They are in orchid heaven now

[silken]

Dave,
It is A & L Canada Laboratories Inc. in London, Ont. I'll PM you with an e-mail address.

[camille1585]

Alternatively you could send samples to Critter Creek Labs, where they do the testing for you. It's $5 or less per sample, depending on the quantity you send. In the past I would often come across their name on OB, I think the test strips weren't as widely available some years ago. Critter Creek Laboratory

[Reeses]

Originally Posted by lotis146

The spots on my leaves are mostly of a dark purple nature and from either Jewell Orchids or Fred Clark, though that's not to say ALL my chids are.

Sorry for jumping into an old post, but when you said the spots were dark purple it caught my attention. I had that happen to some of my catts, as well, and they didn't have any color breaks on the blooms. Now, I haven't tested them, so I can't say for certain, but I was advised by several members here that the purple could be the result of excess lighting. In my case, since they are in a southwest window and I didn't have much shade, I'm inclined to think that's what it was. Not to say you shouldn't still test them, but it's another option!

The purple I noticed was all on newly developing growths, btw. The older ones did not have it. I also burned a few baby leaves