Dutch tulips entering Beijing carry a virus that infects 215 plant species

Recently, the Plant Inspection and Quarantine Center of the Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau detected the class II quarantine pest, Arabis mosaic virus, for the first time in tulip bulbs imported from the Netherlands. According to quarantine officials, this virus spreads easily and is extremely harmful. The relevant authorities have now fumigated this batch of tulip bulbs.

It is understood that Arabis mosaic virus is a virus that spreads and proliferates very easily, and is mainly distributed in Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Japan. It has a wide host range and can infect 215 plant species in 174 genera, harming many economic crops such as vegetables, flowers and trees.

Quarantine officials said that this virus can be transmitted through plant seeds, sap, grafting, machinery, dodder, and vector nematodes. Its main hosts are grown on a large scale in China, among which soybean, grape, cucumber, potato, tomato and lettuce are especially important economic crops in China. Once the virus spreads in China, it will cause major losses to China's economic crops.