P-506 - Prevalence of rose rosette disease in eastern Nebraska botanic gardens

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM HST

Location: Exhibit Hall 3

Author(s)

LW

Lauren Wilson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
CB

Claudia L. Barrios, n/a

Research Technician
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Presenting Author(s)

KB

Kyle C. Broderick, n/a

Associate Extension Educator
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Abstract Text: The loss of cultivated rose perennials has greatly increased since the introduction of the rose rosette disease (RRD) to the United States. RRD is caused by the rose rosette emaravirus which is primarily vectored by the grafting and feeding of eriophyid mites (Phyllocptes fructiphilus). Symptoms of RRD include witches’ broom, phyllody, and stunting, impacting the blooms and reducing the longevity of perennial roses. RRD was first reported across the Rocky Mountains in the 1940s, and soon found its way to Nebraska in 1968, marking the first Midwest state to be affected by RRD. Recently, RRD has become more prevalent in Nebraska, affecting numerous rose varieties. RRD has been considered a periodic disease in Nebraska, however, it is now common in historic rose gardens in both Lincoln and Omaha, NE. In this survey, we obtained samples of floribunda, grandiflora, hybrid tea, shrub, and climbing roses in the Robert H. Storz Family Garden of Omaha and Hamann Rose Garden of Lincoln. Twenty-two samples were taken from the Storz garden, and fifty from the Hamann garden. Using conventional and Real-Time PCR, we confirmed RRD among 100% of the samples from the Storz garden, and 44% from the Hamann garden. These findings will help us understand the prevalence of RRD in Eastern Nebraska’s botanical gardens.