Spread and control of Cucumber Mosaic Virus in gladiolus

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and bean yellow mosaic virus are the most prevalent viruses in gladiolus fields in Israel. Factors affecting infection were studied, as a basis for the buildup of virus-tested propagation material. Marked differences in the susceptibility of gladiolus cultivars to aphid-borne infection were observed, both in field experiments and in test aphid inoculations. Cultivars ‘Euro-vision’ and ‘Trader Horn’ were resistant, while ‘Peter Pears’ and ‘Commando’ were highly susceptible. The aphid that landed most frequently on gladiolus wasMacrosiphum euphorbiae. In test inoculationsM. euphorbiae andAphis gossypii efficiently transmitted CMV from gladiolus to gladiolus, but did not transmit CMV from four other source plants. In field experiments, only those gladioli planted close to infected gladiolus sources became infected. Oil sprays in combination with coarse nets controlled CMV infection in the field efficiently.