PROPAGATION UNIT FOR CHRYSANTHEMUM

In 1978, a White Rust epidemic (Puccinia horiana P. Henn.) spread in Great Britain’s Plant Variety Rights Office, in the Lee Valley experimental station.

The source of the disease, which had never been observed before, were French Chrysanthemum varieties that had been sent to this center for a preliminary authenticity check-up for the benefit of the Committee for Protection of Plant Acquisitions.

To avoid any such incidents, it was decided to creat a Propagation Unit.

All acquirers are registred for phytosanitary control.
The cultures are visited at least twice a year, to check on production conditions and give necessary instructions and advice to interested producers.

Unrooted cuttings that are sent to the Propagation Unit are identified in the presence of a representant of the CPPA, of the Plant Protection Service and the Profession.
Transplanting the cuttings is done the following day.
They are grown over a period of three months during which agents of the Plant Protection Service check them several times for any possible White Rust problems.

The strict measures applied to all production stages have allowed healthy material, free of White Rust to be sent to the Plant Variety Rights Office of Lee Valley.

Symposium on Chrysanthemum

J. PESME, J.-J. GIRAULT

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1982.125.27