Hosta Virus Test

A greenhouse full of healthy Hostas ready for delivery to local and European garden centers. A specific ELISA kit has been developed to detect whether or not Hostas are infected with HVX. Photo courtesy of Naktuinbouw

Dutch perennial growers, exporters and the Dutch quality inspection service for horticulture, continue to work cooperatively to improve the quality of Hosta production with special attention being focused on resolving the problems related to the Hosta virus X (HVX). Growers now submit their Hosta stock to the independent inspection service Naktuinbouw, where the ELISA test is used to determine whether or not Hostas are infected with HVX.

Aware of the importance of exporting clean plants, exporters are now able to ask their suppliers for ELISA test results as a guarantee that they are shipping only top quality plant material. At the same time, growers are able to use these test results to ensure the quality of their replanting stock and ensures that the demands of the North American marketplace, for high quality plant material, are being met. The ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test uses antibodies to seek out the presence of viruses. A specific ELISA kit has been developed to detect HVX and is widely used by Dutch Hosta growers.