How do you eliminate a virus in a plant?

Answer 1

You can eliminate a virus from a plant but it is difficult and costly. It is only undertaken if the plant is valuable and can be propagated by cuttings after treatment. The most common way is by heat treatment. The plant is grown at high temperature in a temperature controlled growth room at 36-42 degrees C. for 4-8 weeks. Most plants are hard to keep alive at this temperature so require very careful attention. Then small cuttings about 1-10 mm in size from a part of the plant called the meristem (the growing tip) are exsised, sterilised and then grown in tissue culture. These cuttings are further multiplied in tissue culture, rooted and planted then out. Not all plants will be will be virus free so have to be tested after growing on and sometimes no plants will be virus free. The process is very expensive and requires a large amount of skill and there are no guarantees. It takes 6-12 months to have tested clean plants at the end. Virus elimination is only done if no virus free plants of that variety can be found. There is no way to eliminate virus from a plant in the field.

Answer 2

To eliminate a virus in a plant, you can try removing and destroying infected plant parts to prevent the spread of the virus. You can also use insecticides to control the vectors that transmit the virus, and practice good gardening practices such as proper spacing, sanitation, and planting resistant varieties to reduce the risk of viral infections. In some cases, there are antiviral treatments available that can be applied to help manage the virus.