Blackberry Sterility Virus

I am looking for some specific information about "blackberry sterility virus". I have read that cultured blackberry plants that flower but fail to set fruit and are otherwise very healthy looking and vigorous may be suffering from a virus that causes the failure to set fruit. The recommendation is to remove and destroy the plant and to be sure that there are no native brambles (a likely source of the virus) within 500 feet of the cultivated plants.

I have three excellent thornless varieties that are doing quite well and producing. In the same garden I planted a thorned variety that I bought at one of the "home improvement" stores. After 2 years, the thorny one was growing vigorously and healthy looking; it bloomed profusely this Spring but set no fruit. This was a nearly perfect fit for the description of "blackberry sterility virus" that I read in a couple of places.

My questions are, "How likely is it that my thornless varieties growing 5-10 feet away will become infected?" ; "Is the soil in the area where the supposedly infected plant was removed now contaminated with the virus because of the bits of roots that were inevitably left behind?"; and "If so, can the soil be "sterilized" to allow future plantings of blackberries?"

What I'm really looking for here is some site that will take me to research into phytopathogenic viruses, and, within that, maybe some wisdom about the stirility virus that affects blackberries. While there, I'd also like to learn about the virus that got to my cucurbit varieties, like gourds and squash, causing wrinkly and mottled leaves. I showed a photo of this to the county agent and he agreed that it was probably viral. This is the first year that I've had so many plant symptoms that seem to be due to viruses. I'm looking for advice as to how to avoid these in the future and how to avoid the spread of these diseases to other susceptible species.
If anyone knows any "center of good research" (government lab, industry lab, university lab) in phytopathogenic viruses, please point me in that direction.

Cymba... What I would suggest is that you take several cuttings of your plant. Good size cuttings or dig up the whole small plant if you can and send it of f for testign to a pathology lab. The cost is about 18 bucks to make sure that what you have.

it could be your thornless are self pollinating and thorny one isn't and this year my berrie s didn't produce like normal hardly had a crop at all from the drought heat, hail and lack of bees to pollinate them.

Also have you checke d the pH in that area. The berrie s liek a pH of 4.0 to 4.6. If you mulched that area real good and have lots of organic material in their it coudl be your pH is to high or your nitrogen content .

I would hunt on the University of Georgia website. I know they have got to have a plant pathology lab and you can also check in the acedemics for the plant pathology department and mayeb write of f to a professor ther e to ask him.

This has been a bad year all aroudn for plants and veggie s and wildlife and humans too.

Good comments, Starlight! Thanks. I'll look into some of those things. The pH is likely to be around 6.5, as it has been elswhere around our place when I have checked it. That low pH preference for berries surprises me.

I suppose I can look into the need for a pollinator for the thorny variety. However, wouldn't you think that the thornless plants would serve that role? Certainly, the self fertile muscadines will fertilize the female vines. Wouldn't this be similar?

I am not sure. Would seem like it, but without knowing exactly what varieie s you have may be hard to tell.

Have you seen any of these reports. There lots more if you type in google the words blackberry production.

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1032/HLA-6239web.pdf ( page two general care for fertilization is good)


http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-6105.pdf

Also, ther e should be soem sort of County Extension offic e near you. I woudl look them up. If they not to far from ya you can drop samples of problems off to them and they send of f to labs and usually doesn't cost ya anything.

Tons of water and tons of fertilizer for fruiting are needed. How much fertilizer and water have you been giving yours?

Hey just remembered, also pop over into the fruit and nut forum. Ther e maybe some other blackberry growers there that have some good tips and pointers for you.

Thanks for the tips on other sites. Our county agent seems to know no more than I already have learned from the local plant supplier. Water and fertilizer must be ok, as my thornless varieties produced like gangbusters this year.

I posted my original question on the fruit and nut forum and got zero responses.
I'll let you know if I learn anything interesting.
D.