Rose Rosette Disease is a devastating disease of roses. It makes the rose unsightly because of abnormal growth of the rose plant tissue. Symptoms such as witches’ brooms, excessive thorniness, enlarged canes, malformed leaves and flowers are associated with this disease. This disease has been reported since the early 1940s but only in 2011 did research demonstrate that it is caused by a virus, aptly named the Rose Rosette Virus.
Follow the research and news of the USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative battling rose rosette, a deadly virus disease of roses on this Combating Rose Rosette Facebook Page.
You can see a presentation (pdf) by Mark Windham, professor at the University of Tennessee and member of the Tenarky District of the American Rose Society, here.
For more information, visit roserosette.org.