Talking about

Talking about "Bailasi"
What is "Bailasi"? In fact, the name "Bailasi" is a loanword; it is a viral disease. According to some sources,orchidsthis disease originally came from Japan and later spread to Taiwan. In recent years, due to increased internationalorchidexchanges, virus-carryingorchidshave also been introduced into mainland China. Quite a few people do not fully understand the harmfulness of this disease, or do not recognize it at all, so that in some areas where orchid growing is relatively developed, a considerable portion of the orchids in many orchid nurseries have been infected with the "Bailasi" virus. Because of the spread of "Bailasi", diseased orchids fill entire nurseries, a sight too dreadful to behold. Even more serious is that these diseased orchids are being dumped on the market in large quantities. According to observation, those who show interest are roughly the following types of people: the first are newcomers to the orchid world, who simply do not recognize that these are diseased orchids; the second are those who do not understand the harmfulness of this disease and treat it as an ordinary orchid disease, firmly believing they can solve it, and, tempted by the beautiful line patterns and low prices, resolutely take the risk of buying; the third are unscrupulous and faithless orchid merchants who, in order to make money, buy diseased orchids at low prices and take them to newly emergingorchid-growinghotspot areas, selling them at high prices to neworchid growers; or they dress up the diseased orchids a bit, for example by peeling off the diseased new shoots, or cutting off the diseased leaves, or smearing on mud and so on, to deceive the eye and foolorchid growers; what is even worse, they claim that the disease spots indicate the beginning of "producing patterns", and that the next generation will surely produce high-grade patterns, and so on, deliberately deceiving people.
Some people compare the "Bailasi" disease to theorchid's"AIDS". Although this comparison is not entirely appropriate, it is very vivid. Japan and Taiwan, China have relatively developed modern orchid growing, yet for the "Bailasi" viral disease, no effective prevention or treatment drug or method has been found to this day.
"Bailasi" is a highly contagious orchid disease. You can all think about it: a few years ago, it was very hard to find this "Bailasi" disease among orchids in mainland China; but now, the market is flooded with large quantities of such diseased orchids. The reason is that in recent years a large number of line-pattern orchids with very beautiful leaf patterns, flower-pattern orchids, and dwarf orchids have flowed in from overseas, and a considerable portion of them are infected with the "Bailasi" virus, causing many of our traditional varieties such as "Golden Mouth", "Silver Edge", "Qihei", "Baimo" and many others to be infected with this virus. If we do not fully recognize the seriousness of this disease, do not publicize and resist it, and let it run rampant and spread its poison everywhere, it will cause enormous harm to the development of orchid growing. All orchid growers with a conscience should not, for the sake of money, take diseased orchids to harm others, and even more should not sell diseased orchids to orchid merchants to deceive and harm ignorant people.
The symptoms of "Bailasi" are mainly manifested on the leaves of orchids. On the orchid leaves there are irregular patches of pale yellow disease spots. Their most notable feature is: in the infected areas, whether on the front or the back of the leaf, the cuticle is reduced, the chlorophyll disappears, the leaf flesh is sunken, and the gloss is lost. This disease can occur throughout the year, and in the high-temperature seasons of summer and autumn it is a period of severe outbreak. It mostly occurs on immature leaves, and until the orchid leaves mature and die of old age, the disease spots still remain. In winter the condition pauses slightly, and the symptoms turn slightly negative. The "Bailasi" disease is strongly hereditary; once an orchid plant is infected with this disease, it will inevitably continue generation after generation. The "Bailasi" virus itself cannot be seen with the naked eye, and orchids infected in the early stage cannot be distinguished. When buying orchids, it is best to select and buy from reputable orchid growers and nurseries; if buying at the market, first observe whether this batch of orchids is all healthy; if you find that some of them carry this disease, it is best not to buy. Orchids infected with "Bailasi" not only have no ornamental value, but also no economic value. The orchid plant will inevitably wither and die. Even more serious is that it will endanger the entire orchid nursery, making it possible for all the orchids in the nursery to be infected with this disease, causing "total annihilation". The "Bailasi" virus can be cross-infected through insects (especially mites), knives and scissors, pots and utensils, and also through contact and friction between orchid leaves, causing originally healthy orchid plants to be infected with the incurable "Bailasi" virus. Therefore, when wecultivateorchids, it is best to keep a certain distance between plants, and orchid leaves should not touch each other; when dividing plants for propagation or removing diseased leaves, it is best not to use knives, but to separate by hand, and immediately apply sulfur powder or other fungicides to the wounds. The orchid nursery should be regularly sprayed with insecticides and sterilizing agents, so that insects and fungi cannot grow and multiply to harm the orchids. If "Bailasi" diseased orchids are found, they should be burned without regret, and even the growing medium and pots should never be used again. Orchids are endangered plants, scarce in species resources, and are the precious wealth of our motherland. Each of us orchid lovers has the responsibility to protect their healthy development.

Examples of the prevention and treatment of "Bailasi disease"

Names and quantities of diseased orchids: one group with two shoots of "Baoshan"; one group with two shoots of "Ruiyu"; four groups with eight shoots of "Baosui Silver Mouth". Source of diseased orchids: imported. Time of onset: June 1992. Symptoms: under transmitted sunlight, irregular lesions were found on the leaves; the condition of each shoot in each group differs, and can be specifically divided into: (1) virus incubation period; (2) relatively mild condition; (3) serious condition. Tentative diagnosis: "Bailasi disease". The grower's state of mind: tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away.
The orchid doctor's opinion: full effort to treat. Prescription: (1) Isolate and observe, and if necessary surgically remove the diseased leaves. (2) Change the environment and the growing medium. Medicine (organic fertilizer) supplied internally, herbal medicine applied externally. 1. Isolation, observation and surgical removal method. The orchid shed must be inspected regularly; if a pot of Chinese orchids is found to be infected with "Bailasi" disease, it should be isolated immediately, and the sunken and spreading diseased leaves should be cut off. If the lesions on the pseudobulbs are found to be serious, they should also be removed at the same time, and the removed diseased leaves and diseased pseudobulbs should be immediately gathered and burned. The diseased orchids after excision should be placed in a traditional orchid shed with good ventilation; the scissors used for the operation must be strictly sterilized. When cutting the diseased orchids, any places that have come into contact with people's hands should also be washed clean with soapy water before one may touch other healthy Chinese orchids.
2. The method of strengthening the foundation and cultivating the vital essence. This method is intended to let the Chinese orchids absorb more and better organic elements, strengthen their constitution, and raise their immunity. This method can be divided into two steps. Step one: first change the growing medium. Imported Chinese orchids, including those from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, China, Macao, China and other places, basically use tree-fern fiber, longan bark, sphagnum moss, magic soil, ceramsite and other media. These media are greatly beneficial to the breathing of Chinese orchid roots, but they themselves do not contain organic fertilizer (except that longan bark, when about to rot, produces a brief and weak organic matter). Terrestrial Chinese orchids have relatively active growth functions at 18 to 28 degrees, but their absorption of organic fertilizer is also very slow. At excessively high or low temperatures (below 13 degrees or above 35 degrees, Chinese orchids are basically in a dormant state), applying too much organic fertilizer is instead harmful to the growth of Chinese orchids. Therefore, one should rely on the growing medium to help adsorb part of the organic fertilizer, which is then released by the medium for the orchid roots to absorb; this is relatively ideal. But unfortunately: the above-mentioned media cannot achieve this. At present, on the issue of growing media, basically each person applies his own method and each goes his own way, and this is also correct, because the temperature and humidity differ from place to place, and the sources of growing media differ, so one should adapt to local conditions.
Below I will talk about the growing medium I use and my analysis of growing media:
(1) The growing medium from the middle to the bottom of the orchid pot: use charcoal granules or granules of ancient blue bricks. Charcoal itself is organic fertilizer, and charcoal can absorb rot and prevent rot? Unfortunately, its water absorption is a bit strong, so the bottom growing medium should be controlled at about 20%. Granules of ancient blue bricks (each 0.6-1.2 cm) are better for lining the bottom of the pot, because ancient blue bricks were made from relatively good clay, fired with firewood and mountain grass, and have gone through years of weathering; their water absorption is moderate, and they can also be used to plant some fermented organic fertilizer. The amount used per pot can account for 40%-70% of the total growing medium. Incidentally, let me mention here that if granules of modern red bricks are used, they are not so ideal, because modern red bricks contain much coarse sand and are basically fired with coal powder mixed in; the fire energy has not dissipated and the sulfur content is extremely heavy, which is unfavorable to the growth of Chinese orchids.
(2) The growing medium from the middle to the surface of the orchid pot: botanists divide the world's orchids into two major parts, terrestrial orchids and epiphytic orchids. Chinese orchids are basically terrestrial orchids. What is called "ground" is "soil", so it is not wrong to cultivate them with soil. After many years of trials, the author finds that using traditional pond mud granules is relatively ideal, but the selection of pond mud is a very important link. One should choose village-side fish ponds with a relatively long history (several decades is best), deeper water, and relatively fertile water quality. Fry ponds are the best, adult-fish ponds are second, because in fry ponds the fishermen put in peanut cake, bean cake and other feed every day to feed the fry; the fry eat part of it, and the other part sinks to the bottom of the pond and, after fermentation, cultivates many zooplankton, phytoplankton and organic debris. Scoop out such pond mud, dry it in the sun for later use; when using it, break it into 1-2 cm granules, screen out and discard the powder. In the orchid pot it will not dissolve for 2-3 years. This kind of pond mud contains large amounts of organic fertilizer and can be absorbed by Chinese orchids over a relatively long period. Step two: apply organic fertilizer. (1) Liquid organic fertilizer: take 5% peanut cake or bean cake, 40% human urine, 5% white clam shells (marine shellfish), add 50% clear water, add 6 pieces of dried tangerine peel, mix well, put into a container, seal the lid, and ferment for more than 4 months before use. When applying, dilute with 20 times clear water and pour it onto the parts below the pseudobulbs; after fertilizing, sprinkle a little clear water (also called rinsing). The principle of light application should be carried out (apply once per quarter for healthy Chinese orchids, and three times per month for diseased orchids). But do not fertilize during the dormancy period of Chinese orchids; please remember this without fail; (2) Solid organic fertilizer: take 90% peanut cake or bean cake, 5% white clam shells (rich in calcium; if inland conditions are limited, cattle bone meal or other calcium sources can be used), mix and process into powder or small granules, add 5% clear water, put into a container, seal for 4 months, then dry in the sun for later use. If maggots appear during the fermentation process, they can be killed by spraying with "trichlorfon". Application method: scatter the solid fertilizer on the surface of the growing medium. Application amount: first examine the size of the orchid pot, the number of orchid plants per pot, the strength of the orchid body, the water absorption condition and so on to decide the application amount. For example: for a generally normal large orchid pot, with large-leaf Baosui types having more than 10 shoots per pot and relatively good absorption, 4-6 qian can be applied per pot each time. For those using orchid saucers (small pots), special attention should be paid to the amount; in principle, better less than more. At the same time, note that during the dormancy period of Chinese orchids, water should be given less or not at all, so as not to accelerate the dissolution of the solid organic fertilizer, which the Chinese orchids themselves cannot absorb; under such circumstances, root fertilizer burn often results.
3. Treatment method with herbal medicine. Use sun-dried tobacco leaves (called "shengqie" in Xinhui, Taishan, Zhongshan, Gaohe and other places); the whole leaf can be used as medicine. The main vein of the tobacco leaf (abbreviated as "tobacco bone") is one of the ancient pesticides of our country. Our ancestors applied it to mite diseases of vegetables, rust diseases of the fruit and leaves of mandarin oranges and sweet oranges, and so on. Production and use method: soak tobacco bones at a ratio of about 5 percent in boiling water for 24 hours, take out the tobacco bones, filter the remaining medicinal liquid, and then spray it on the leaf surface and the back of the leaves, the pseudobulbs, and even the orchid roots; it is required that every part of the whole orchid plant be covered with the medicinal liquid. Thirty minutes after spraying, the leaf surface of the Chinese orchid will be seen to shine with dazzling luster (the process of action of the plant oil substances in the tobacco bones). When spraying, pay special attention: do not spray the medicinal liquid into the cores of new shoots, and do not spray too much on the roots either, otherwise it will affect the growth of the Chinese orchids. Using the same method as above, spray twice a day (four hours apart), spraying continuously for 10 days as the first course of treatment; stop for 10 days, then begin the second course, spraying continuously for five days, stop for 10 days, then begin the third course, spraying continuously for another five days. When spraying, it is best to choose a temperature between 18 and 26 degrees, and note that during the spraying period the medicinal liquid must not be washed off by rain or by sprinkling clear water on the leaf surface, so as not to affect the efficacy. When water must be given, just water the surface of the growing medium. After three courses of treatment and 40 days of observation, the obviously sunken lesions are basically controlled from spreading, and under transmitted sunlight or lamplight the irregular yellow-white spots are seen to gradually disappear. Orchid friends, if this group of Chinese orchids is your beloved pet or the treasure of your shed, please continue with the fourth, fifth and sixth courses of treatment; the effect will be even more ideal. Because tobacco leaves are a herbal medicine, they have no major side effects and are greatly beneficial to Chinese orchids. To ensure efficacy, the preparation is best made once every 2-3 days; if the preparation is used for too long, it will oxidize and deteriorate, causing part of the medicinal liquid to transform into organic fertilizer and reducing efficacy. But it can continue to be applied; do not waste it. The drug treatment course required for "Bailasi disease" is relatively long, generally requiring 1-2 months of treatment, or even longer. If orchid friends lack the mental preparation for a "protracted war" and do not persist in systematic treatment (for example: applying organic fertilizer frequently and lightly, choosing growing media rich in organic elements, etc.), it will often lead to a recurrence of the disease. After two years of experiments on drug and comprehensive treatment of "Bailasi disease", the author dares not say that this disease has been completely cured, but basically the spread and transfer of the virus can be controlled. Diseased orchids with a relatively mild condition can regain their youth, making their leaves thicken, their chlorophyll increase, and their luster bright. The new shoots that sprouted in the spring of 1993 and 1994 have so far not been found to have viral inheritance, and they are full of vitality and growing robustly.


Symptoms and transmission of Bailasi disease

Bailasi disease often occurs at the base, middle or part of the tip of the leaf. First appear milky white, net-like striped spots of varying length, thickness and state, with irregular boundaries. The boundaries of the spots are often like gradually spreading water stains. The two sides of the spot body appear chlorotic and transparent. In the early stage the spot body has no heterochromatic embellishment; in the middle stage the back of the spot body has a slight sunken phenomenon, and a few light brown irregular spots-within-spots appear; in the late stage the color of the spots deepens, like sunburn scorch, and the spot body and the green leaf body outside the spot simultaneously show wrinkled lines, the leaf margin curls backward, and the luster is lost; afterward it gradually dries up and finally dies. The Bailasi virus is contagious. The journal of the China Orchid Association, "China Orchid Information", and the journal of the Guangzhou Orchid Research Association, "Orchid Newsletter", and others have reported many times that quite a few rather famous large orchid-growing households started out with the traditional silver-edgedCymbidium sinenseand opened the way with new, strange, odd and special varieties, and their business became more and more prosperous. Later they inadvertently introduced orchid seedlings infected with the Bailasi virus from a certain place, and as a result, in less than two years, the new shoots of all the orchid plants had become mottled and spotted, and some had begun to wither and die. The scene was too dreadful to behold. The Bailasi virus is mainly transmitted through contact. Such things as the biting and crawling of insect pests, and the friction and squeezing of pots, substrate and leaf surfaces, may all cause the spread of the Bailasi virus. Therefore, such phenomena as displaying, stacking and transporting orchid plants together, and touching pots and watering by immersion with the hands, should all be strictly avoided, and every effort should be made to prevent the spread and rampancy of the Bailasi virus.


Prevention of Bailasi viral disease

1. Do not blindly pursue good varieties, do not covet cheap prices and buy virus-infected orchids, do not buy seedlings from areas where virus-infected orchids are prevalent, and do not buy seedlings packed or placed together with virus-infected orchids. This is the most fundamental and also the most effective preventive measure. 2. All seedlings introduced from outside must be soaked for 2 hours in a medicinal liquid of 500-700 times dilution of Bingdubike plus 250 times dilution of edible rice vinegar, in order to disinfect them. After potting, spray the leaf surface and the back of the leaves once a week with the diluted Bingdubike liquid, and water the roots once every 10-15 days with this medicinal liquid, each for more than 10 consecutive times. Afterward, spray once per quarter with 1000 times dilution of medical aspirin. In this way, the proliferation and spread of the virus can be effectively inhibited, so that those that have not yet shown viral symptoms will not show them later, and those that have already shown them will spread less or not spread later. 3. Do not excessively carry out high-temperature and high-humidity management in order to force a high propagation rate and high growth rate. Orchid sheds and rooms must be well ventilated with natural air. The supplementation of various fertilizers should be supplied according to need; do not fertilize blindly, so as to prevent the opposite effect. 4. Tools and hands that have come into contact with diseased plants can be disinfected by soaking in 2% formalin for 60 minutes. Blades can be disinfected by burning with a lighter flame, to prevent transmission.


Treatment of Bailasi viral disease

Although Bailasi viral disease has been judged to be an incurable orchid disease, this is not absolute. In fact, orchid horticulturists and growers everywhere have made certain progress in treating Bailasi-diseased orchids. The author also conducted treatment experiments on a cluster of orchid seedlings suffering from viral disease. Over 3 years, their old plants have withered and died, and the 3 new plants that sprouted have not shown viral symptoms. Although, without tissue section testing, it cannot be definitely said to be cured, the recent surface control can be said to have been successful. The treatment method is: (1) Cultivate strong plants. Create suitable ecological conditions to cultivate diseased orchid plants; do not place them in a glass greenhouse for cultivation. Adjust light, temperature and humidity well according to the habits of orchids, provide more natural ventilation, and appropriately supply fertilizer and spray medicine, so as to cultivate strong plants and improve resistance.
(2) Apply medicine to inhibit and eliminate the virus. When applying medicine, do both watering and spraying, spraying medicine to treat the above-ground part and watering medicine to treat the below-ground part, carrying out all-round treatment. Spray medicine once every 7 days, water medicine once every 10-15 days; after 10-15 consecutive times, change to once every half month or once a month, and persist for more than 1 year to consolidate the curative effect. The medicines selected for treatment are: (1) For finished pesticides, use 500 times dilution of Bingdubike as the effective medicine, add 250 times dilution of edible rice vinegar with extremely strong penetrating function, so as to lead the medicine directly to the diseased part and enhance the efficacy. Also take nutritional substances rich in amino acids and many other components to support the vital essence and enhance the ability of the orchid plants to eliminate the pathogen. (2) Apply heat-clearing and detoxifying Chinese medicines with antiviral function. For example, banlangen, daqingye, jinyinhua, guanzhong, huanglian, beizi, yijianxi, qiyeyizhihua, banbianlian, banzhilian and zihuadiding and so on are all preferred medicinal materials. Three to five of them can be selected at will and combined into a prescription, used alternately every month. First use the infusion, then the decoction, then scatter the dregs. The medicinal liquid is preferably at 10-100 times dilution. (3) Spray once per quarter with 1000 times dilution of the antipyretic and analgesic aspirin, to induce the plant body to produce resistance protein, so as to inhibit or kill the virus. Doing so has a considerable synergistic effect. (3) Support the vital essence and eliminate the pathogen. Diseased orchid plants consume too much and are themselves unable to transport medicine to eliminate the pathogen, so supporting the vital essence is indispensable. The main measures to support the vital essence are: (1) gradually increase the amount of light; (2) provide more natural ventilation and more exposure to dew; (3) fertilize normally, and every half year water once with compound trace-element fertilizer or plant growth essence, and spray once a week or every half month with a medium-concentration foliar fertilizer, such as Plant Power 2003, Gaolida, Gaole, Aishi brand foliar fertilizer and so on. If one can make unremitting efforts according to the above methods, perhaps a recent curative effect can be obtained, and at the very least an effect of controlling its spread can be obtained. (Xu Dongsheng)

The characteristics of the Bailasi virus

The viral disease that harms orchids has the English name VIRUS, transliterated as "Bailasi". The orchid world, because of its long striped patterns, which resemble the filamentous body of the Chinese medicinal herb Eucommia ulmoides after being broken and pulled hard, commonly calls it the "thread-drawing disease". This disease is still to this day an incurable disease, and is therefore called the "AIDS" and "cancer" of orchids. Viral disease is not only incurable to this day, but also hereditary and contagious. Therefore, we should cooperate with plant quarantine departments and earnestly resist the entry of Bailasi-diseased orchids. Bailasi is a filterable, latent pathogen. Infected plants mostly do not show viral disease in the current generation, but only show viral symptoms in the new plants of the next generation or later generations. Some do not show symptoms for a long time, but the virus still proliferates and spreads within the host plant body. Because it does not immediately show symptoms, it belongs to latent infection, which brings difficulties to detecting it. Only by taking tissue sections of the plant body in the laboratory and placing them under a high-power electron microscope can it be accurately determined. According to the "Complete Book of the Classification and Cultivation of Chinese Orchidaceae Plants" written by Mr. Chen Xinqi and Mr. Gu Zhanhe of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, more than 20 kinds of viruses that attack orchids are currently known. Among them, the pathogens that most commonly attack Chinese orchids are the Chinese orchid mosaic virus, the Chinese orchid ringspot virus and the orchid small spot virus, etc. Bailasi viral disease has a certain causal relationship with improper regulation of temperature, humidity, air and light. According to reports, its occurrence is related to orchid plants being cultivated in glass greenhouses for a long time. Some people believe that a lack of some element, or an excess of some element, in orchid plants will lead to the emergence of this diseased state. It is said that once orchid plants leave the glass greenhouse, viral symptoms appear in large numbers.