Cymbidium Mosaic Virus Infecting Orchids: What, How, and What Next?

Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV) is one of the most devastating viruses causing losses in the orchid industry, affecting economies worth millions of US dollars. CymMV significantly affects the orchid population and could be controlled through an integrated management strategy consisting of virus detection, good sanitation care of gardeners and their tools, and maintaining virus-free explants.

 This review was written based on research publications relevant to the CymMV infection in orchids. The literature cited were obtained from online literature databases such as web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The searched term used was “Cymbidium mosaic virus”. Related publications to the initial search were also examined.

This review describes the threat of CymMV to the orchid population by examining its history, genome organization, symptoms on individual orchids, detection, and management. Current research has been focusing on the prospect of transgenic orchids with viral resistance. This review also highlights the potential role of the symbiotic relationship between orchids and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi that could be useful to improve the protection of orchids against virus infection. Overall, this review provides information on how CymMV infection impacts the orchid population.