GHV Special Announcement

December 16, 2022 – Glenda’s House of Violets

As a responsible commercial vendor, it saddens me to report that my plant inventory has been impacted by the recent significant and widespread uptick in reported cases of Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) in the African violet & gesneriad growing communities.

As part of my regular Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, I do regular, periodic testing as well as regular treatments for pathogens and pests. The Texas Department of Agriculture also regularly inspects my facilities for compliance with Texas Agriculture laws and regulations.

My collection during this recent IPM cycle was about 400+ plants. Last week I had 9 plants out of about 300 in quarantine tested positive for INSV. To intervene in any further spread of this nasty virus, everything in quarantine was destroyed and properly disposed. My remaining plant inventory has tested negative and is now under close observation with regular inspection, testing, and voluntary quarantine to be absolutely certain no virus remains. On the bright side, my facility is sparkling clean and ready to roll again once my voluntary quarantine is lifted.

IMPORTANT

If you purchased plants from my sales tables during the 2022 AVSA convention in Little Rock and the 2022 LSAVC convention in Houston, please be aware that some of them may have been exposed to INSV-positive plants.

What To Do If You Suspect INSV

• The AVSA website has graciously placed links to INSV information as part of their public outreach and educational function

• Your state agriculture labs may provide testing. See your county agriculture agent for details.

• The National Plant Diagnostic Network is an excellent resource for finding a plant diagnostic lab near you. NPDN Main Website.

• Suspicious plant materials can be tested using INSV test kits purchased from reputable companies such as Agdia, Inc. https://www.agdia.com

• Always remember in situations like this, the trash can is your best friend.

Routine Precautions I

encourage taking all precautions to protect your collections, especially implementation of more intense IPM strategies. IPM includes treatment with insecticides, pesticides, etc. as well as quarantine, testing, and monitoring of your collections.

Situations like this can happen to anyone, even those who practice stringent IPM strategies. Please educate yourselves on not only INSV, but other pathogens and pests. Being better informed allows you to make decisions about what is the best course of action should you find that you too, were also affected. By working together as a growing community, we can rise up to get this virus back under control.