Silverlake115 said:I see on Johann Maks post on Facebook about the potato lily virus. I'm wondering maybe if that is what this is.
No. He was talking about Plantago Asiatica Mosiac Virus, a particularly dangerous virus because it can infect such a wide rang of host plants including potatoes.
Chile is thought to be the epicenter of that virus. Large lily growers from the Netherlands were using local bulb grower companies there to develop nuclear bulb stock of new hybrids when the problem was first suspected to exist. The growers in Chile were growing and shipping edible bulbs commercially to Japan at the time and were not concerned about virus in the bulbs. Now that it is known the virus can strike potatoes as well, it has got some pretty high attention, especially in small countries like the Netherlands. A couple years ago the Minister of Agriculture in Canada banned the farming of potatoes in certain areas where it now exists. This could be the reason the bulb growing companies in Chile are so tightly controlled about reselling there--if potatoes are an important food source.
