Elizabeth J. Indermaur (she/her/hers)
PhD Candidate
Cornell University
Geneva, New York, United States
Charles T. C. Day
Cornell University
Geneva, New York, United States
Minsook Hwang
Department of Plant Pathology, Foundation Plant Services, University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States
Maher Al Rwahnih, PhD
Foundation Plant Services
Davis, California, United States
Anna Wunsch
Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell AgriTech, Cornell University
Geneva, New York, United States
Jiyeong Choi
Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell AgriTech, Cornell University
Geneva, New York, United States
Marc Fuchs
Plant Pathology & Plant-Microbe Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell AgriTech, Cornell University
Geneva, New York, United States
Christine Smart
Professor
Cornell University
Geneva, New York, United States
Rhubarb (Rheum spp.) is a more ancient crop than its culinary history in Europe and North America reveals. Native to the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding high-elevation tundra, the genus comprises more than 60 species of herbaceous perennials grown globally for culinary and medicinal purposes. Culinary rhubarb (R. rhabarbarum), a primarily clonally propagated crop, is grown for the consumption of its petiole that can be sold in fresh food markets or used in craft beverages and baked goods. Despite being well-suited for cultivation in the Northeast US, where markets are expanding, little is known about rhubarb genetics or pathology. Growers have sought recommendations on cultural and disease management practices to advance regional production. In April 2024, severe symptoms including leaf spots, chlorosis, and stunting were observed on a single cultivar, ‘Kerwin’, in Cornell AgriTech’s greenhouses. Leaf tissue tested positive for tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using specific antibodies. Subsequently, the virome of 42 rhubarb accessions was determined using high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Six viruses, including ToRSV, were identified via HTS. Efforts to validate these findings by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction are underway, including the reproduction of symptoms associated with ToRSV in rhubarb seedlings. Though the prevalence of viruses in northeastern rhubarb is currently unknown, the potential impact on a developing industry that relies on a clonally propagated crop will be discussed.