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Is this FMV?

I recently rooted several cuttings I got in a plant propagation class.
Some of these were "Mary Lane" figs. The leaves on all these cuttings exhibit some strange discoloration and dont look particularly healthy.

Is this a sign of FMV?

If FMV, should I refrain from grafting other fig varieties that dont exhibit these symptoms on the same tree? I just created a multi-grafted fig tree  with 12 varieties, one of which is this sickly looking "Mary Lane". Should I quickly cut it off to avoid infecting the other scions or the rootstock? Perhaps it is too late?

Regards,
--Ram IMG_4865.JPG

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Looks like FMV to me. Don't worry about it. Eventually as the plant grows it usually disappears. It commonly shows up on newly rooted cuttings. Once they reach a certain size you'll never be able to tell it has it.

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Thanks,
Now that the Mary Lane is known to carry the FMV virus and none of the others on my main tree have any signs of it, is it possible that the Mary Lane would have infected the others? Its only been a month now. I am hoping to prune off the Mary Lane branch and leave the rest of my tree safe.
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If you ask 10 different fig growers about their thoughts regarding fmv you will get 10 different answers.  Some (ok, a minority) automatically burn any tree that shows signs of fmv while others totally ignore it.  It is probably a more serious issue in the north than in mediterranean-like areas like California.  If it were me, I would definitely avoid grafting a scion from a plant showing heavy symptoms like your Mary Lane, especially to a multigraft tree that you have a lot invested in.  As an independent tree it may indeed be worth giving it ideal growing conditions and seeing if it can outgrow the symptoms, or the worst of the symptoms.  In the meantime, sterilize the pruning shears in between plants and take other precautions not to transmit the virus to plants without symptoms.  Also note that there are several different types of mosaic viruses that infect figs and it is thought that symptoms are worse if a plant is carrying multiple types i.e. the more types, the worse the disease.
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Thanks Steve!
I pruned out the Mary Lane grafts along with several inches of the rootstock branch just now. Hope it didnt infect my main tree. 

I will keep the independent tree around for now.  It appears that some of my other cuttings are also showing FMV symptoms (curled and discolored leaves). These offending cuttings are all from Raintree Nursery. I can't complain too much as they were free.
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There is a microscopic mite that spreads and intensifies FMV called Aceria ficus, aka the fig bud mite, it can survive winters in the PNW so you do not want to introduce it to your big trees or you might have a real hard time getting rid of it. The mite and the virus are much worse than either alone, the tree can never outgrow the virus because mites keep infecting it over and over again and passing viruses between trees. Some of the mite symptoms get misdiagnosed as FMV by universities, so there is lots of confusion about them. It was an expensive lesson for me to learn. If you get a microscope you can look for them, or just always take the precaution of treating new trees before introducing them to the others with something that is known to be effective eg. spiromesefin. They can spread fast so don't wait long to do something if you see symptoms spread and treat all plants in the area, not just the ones with symptoms. 
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Wow! Before today, I knew very little about FMV and absolutely nothing about the mite. 

Will any miticide work (say neem oil or other organic horticultural oils) or is it best to use spiromesefin? Some of the figs are indoors and I am not sure I want to spray something heavy duty yet.
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They are eriophyid mites which are about as similar to spider mites as hummingbirds are to geese, so not all miticides are going to work. There are not many things labeled for eriophyid mites, the issue is that they are hard to get contact with when spraying because young fig leaves are fuzzy and shelter them, they lay eggs on tiny leaves inside the buds before they emerge, and have a fast life cycle. They do not chew on leaves so don't ingest any spray residue that is not absorbed into the plant, one possibility is trying neem or an extract as a systemic by watering it into the roots. Sulphur is what they use in fig orchards for control, it would be difficult to know if it has worked though since the dust makes the mites even harder to see. Unfortunately not many people have shared final results of various sprays, the symptoms can go away and come back later if just a few survive.
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Based on research on the fig mite, just one single feeding by one single mite infected with fmv is enough to give your fig the virus. So far 100 percent of trees and cuttings I have grown have shown it to some degree and I don't really think it's a concern. Some of the best varieties like Figo preto are usually heavily affected. Some have theorized that having fmv slows growth and makes figs taste better actually. So if you are in a good climate consider fmv a non issue.

On the other hand those with very short growing seasons might be hampered by a fmv tree which is slow to start. This would only apply to areas that the tree would not be able to grow in without some help. I would still say fmv probably doesn't matter, but the slow initial growth might be concerning for some.

For me usually the first leaf out is badly disfigured and after that all leaves come out perfect and symmetrical.

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Also just want to say they are plenty of examples of problems leading to positive results. Citrus when drought stressed will blossom heavily and predictably. Tomatoes tastes best when the plant almost dies from drought during harvest. There is a grape vine virus which improves the flavor of the wine, I just can't remember the name of it. These may be completely unrelated to fmv, but I am of the opinion that fmv might also improve flavor.

And to answer the question you asked, yes that looks exactly like fmv.

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Yes that is FMV and chicken poop is my remedy. Lots of nitrogen so it can out grow the symptoms!  
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Most articles about fmv are for commercial orchards, the vast majority of which need maximum production not flavor. Fmv slows growth, but the extent for a home grower might not matter as much.

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Commercial orchards have a single variety, all from the same mother, spaced thoughtfully apart. Collectors have XXX no. of varieties all crammed on top of each other, and since they are from all over the world there are many different strains of FMV as well as other viruses for them all to share. 

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Based on research on the fig mite, just one single feeding by one single mite infected with fmv is enough to give your fig the virus. So far 100 percent of trees and cuttings I have grown have shown it to some degree and I don't really think it's a concern. Some of the best varieties like Figo preto are usually heavily affected. Some have theorized that having fmv slows growth and makes figs taste better actually. So if you are in a good climate consider fmv a non issue. 


I know where you are getting this from... Sellers who say things like "I assume all figs have been exposed to FMV", which is a load of you know what. Basically it means "I don't have a problem selling you sick/infested material" and "you don't know any better". FMV is not a systemic virus, anyone who tells you that is lying or just ignorant, the fig bud mite makes it "virtually systemic", so do WORRY ABOUT IT. 
Yes, it slows growth, so virus numbers increase during rooting (makes it tough to get to full size, sister cuttings from the same mother will perform differently) and as the tree becomes mature and growth slows naturally, that is when it is most likely to cause them to decline and die, yes, that is one of the symptoms people don't talk about because it don't exactly jive with "it is everywhere already/nothing to worry about". Some trees grow out of it, others stay sick and stunted until they die.
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Originally Posted by hoosierbanana
Commercial orchards have a single variety, all from the same mother, spaced thoughtfully apart. Collectors have XXX no. of varieties all crammed on top of each other, and since they are from all over the world there are many different strains of FMV as well as other viruses for them all to share. 


I know where you are getting this from... Sellers who say things like "I assume all figs have been exposed to FMV", which is a load of you know what. Basically it means "I don't have a problem selling you sick/infested material" and "you don't know any better". FMV is not a systemic virus, anyone who tells you that is lying or just ignorant, the fig bud mite makes it "virtually systemic", so do WORRY ABOUT IT. 
Yes, it slows growth, so virus numbers increase during rooting (makes it tough to get to full size, sister cuttings from the same mother will perform differently) and as the tree becomes mature and growth slows naturally, that is when it is most likely to cause them to decline and die, yes, that is one of the symptoms people don't talk about because it don't exactly jive with "it is everywhere already/nothing to worry about". Some trees grow out of it, others stay sick and stunted until they die.


Calling FMV affected trees sick/infested is simply misleading. Fig mites are prevalent in California and all trees from California will be affected. FMV symptoms in most trees are mild and in proper care it will have very little effect on the tree for a home grower.

From an article posted by UC Agriculture: "Measurement of loss of fruit production caused by fig mosaic has not been possible because of the lack of healthy plants-other than seedlings-for comparison. The disease was found to be present on all fig trees examined in the field in California" 
http://ucanr.edu/repositoryfiles/ca1101p12-66858.pdf

Second more recent article: "Samples were collected from 37 FMV isolates from California, Turkey, and Israel (Fig. 1). In all, 21 FMV isolates were from California, including 10 collected from different commercial orchards and 11 obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Clonal Germplasm Repository, University of California (UC), Davis. The repository currently has 190 fig accessions from different parts of the world (47), and all of these plants show visible symptoms of the fig mosaic disease (52)" 
http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PHYTO-05-13-0145-R

People who state that they assume all their figs have FMV are not lying, it is just the fact of life in California. 
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Ramv,

Sure looks like FMV.  I'm of the long held opinion of old-time Fig growers that Figs in North America which haven't been "virus indexed" to kill the virus all have it!  FMV shows readily in stressed Figs and more profoundly in specific varieties (such as "Adriatic").  Here in Seattle we don't get stress conditions often so it's no big deal!  In my 26 years of Fig growing, I haven't lost a single plant to FMV and don't expect to.

Continue your collecting and don't panic.  The question I have about "Mary Lane" is if it is an appropriate variety to grow here.  Does it have a good Breba crop or a very early Main crop?  If the answer to both of those questions is no, enjoy your newly acquired ornamental Fig tree cause we just don't get enough heat units during the growing season to ripen the Main crop of most varieties here in the Great Pacific Northwet!

Happy Growing,   kiwibob, Seattle
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Hi Kiwibob,
I really dont know anything about Mary Lane. I only happen to have it because I got several free cuttings from Raintree Nursery as part of a propagation/grafting class. 
 
To give you an idea of how crazy this has become, we are currently rooting over 100 cuttings (not just figs: grapes, currants, raspberries, even kiwis). No to mention the 50+ apple/pear/fig grafts also in progress.
 At this time, I have so many rooted cuttings/grafted trees and so little space that I am not really concerned if many/most aren't suited. I am likely to donate most of this anyway.
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Originally Posted by livetaswim06


Calling FMV affected trees sick/infested is simply misleading. Fig mites are prevalent in California and all trees from California will be affected. FMV symptoms in most trees are mild and in proper care it will have very little effect on the tree for a home grower.

From an article posted by UC Agriculture: "Measurement of loss of fruit production caused by fig mosaic has not been possible because of the lack of healthy plants-other than seedlings-for comparison. The disease was found to be present on all fig trees examined in the field in California" 
http://ucanr.edu/repositoryfiles/ca1101p12-66858.pdf

Second more recent article: "Samples were collected from 37 FMV isolates from California, Turkey, and Israel (Fig. 1). In all, 21 FMV isolates were from California, including 10 collected from different commercial orchards and 11 obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Clonal Germplasm Repository, University of California (UC), Davis. The repository currently has 190 fig accessions from different parts of the world (47), and all of these plants show visible symptoms of the fig mosaic disease (52)" 
http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PHYTO-05-13-0145-R

People who state that they assume all their figs have FMV are not lying, it is just the fact of life in California. 


So a plant that is severely affected by a virus is not sick? The leaf symptoms are caused by high virus levels, just because a healthy tree might have latent virus that only testing can detect does not make it the same as a stunted/sick plant. The terminology  has been used extensively by growers here. To say a symptomatic plant and a non-symptomatic plant are equal in a round about sort of way is misleading. And that goes against what plays out in the market, people want healthy plants that are not stunted. Preto is desirable because it is said to grow better than BM, and the same for BM (KK), which is from Wolfskill but does not show symptoms anymore (deformed leaves, stunted growth, mosaic etc.).

If you have never grown a tree that has had persistent symptoms are you sure it was FMV at all? The first leaves can be deformed from physical damage, insects, mites. It usually takes some time here, I am have one tree from Wolfskill which has never made a healthy leaf in 9 years, yes, most of them grew out of it, but it is not any sort of guarantee. So they were affected/influenced by FMV initially, but not nearly as much since they have been grown fig bud mite free.

Of ~ 30 MBVS trees I planted the year of my fig bud mite infestation, about 6 were severely stunted by FMV and needed to be replaced, but most of the others have sent up healthy shoots (the roots were not infected) since and are doing great. That is as close as anyone has come to answering Flock and Wallace's unanswered question. But that trial could be carried out scientifically now, TC plants have been indexed, some could be infected and comparisons made between them.

If I were not growing the plants for myself maybe it would be different, or if my focus was to have as many varieties as possible. But my goal is to evaluate varieties for my climate, so removing all the variables I can is important. What is so wrong with giving a short description of the mother plant's condition? "The mother has mild FMV symptoms but grows well, x # of cuttings out of x # showed/did not show any disease symptoms" "there are symptoms on the leaves but none on the fruit" "the mother is healthy/shows no symptoms", "grown in a mite free environment to limit exposure to viruses", "the mother shows leaf symptoms early in the season and they always clear up". etc. 
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I  had trees that were so sick with FMV that I destroyed them but for the most part they grow out of it.If you have a large collection you have it already.Do not worry about it too much.
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