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To Shane Sela -
….Continued from Pg 11 Dr.
Michael Coffey of UC Davis states, "Big deal. I can collect 300 species,
inject them in the lab, and I guarantee that I will find more hosts. In my
opinion, [the report is] irresponsible." Dr. Coffey insists that SOD
already exists over the world. It was found in 300 nurseries in the U.K, for
example. The larger story is that trees are declining all over the world and
scientists by no means agree as to the causes. There is still disagreement as
to whether SOD is killing trees or only taking advantage of stress caused by
other conditions, in the same way that oak root fungus does - it's always
present but only activated by artificially added moisture in the soil. Some
persist in believing that soil deficiencies are the problem, though others
argue they've tested soil samples and not found deficiencies. Aphosphonite
fungicide called Agri-Fos is recommended as a preventative. "It's best
for trees that haven't been infected yet. It
only works if applied before the pathogen arrives," says UC Davis
Professor David Rizzo, who worries that such whole sale applications might
affect the ecosystem in some negative way. Dr. Garblotto stands his ground.
"Although no infected roses have been found in commercial nurseries yet,
this finding should prompt surveys of roses sold commercially (especially
wood rose) to ascertain their infection status." It seems doubtful that
few other than native plant nurseries and perhaps habitat restoration
specialists are likely to be offering the wood rose for sale these days. David J. Elliott BSc Forestry |
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Peter Beales letter: Your
mail of September 17th has been forwarded to me from the Royal National Rose
Society. The last edition of the Rose combined both the winter and
spring issues. The
Christmas edition is due out any day now and there will be a winter issue in
December. My President’s letter in the pending issue will explain our
progress. The house required a huge
investment to bring it up to modern Health and Safety standards, so we have
sold this to a Butterfly company together with half of the 50 acres; with
part of the proceeds of the sale having first paid off substantial debts; a
new garden is being planned. This will bring the Society and its gardens back
to good health but is has been complex and drawn out at times hopefully to
open at least in part next June. Bringing
the Society and its garden back to good health has been complex and drawn out
at times. Please dispel all the rumours - The R.N.R.S. will be back as
a leading Rose Society soon. Thank
you for showing such an interest. It is good to hear from you. Regards, Peter Beales President PLEASE NOTE The CRS Official Address is: For Membership related matters please use c/o Marie Farnady |