Economic Significance of Viroids in Ornamental Crops

The economic significance of viroids in ornamental crops is less obvious than in food crops. The most serious direct impact known is for chrysanthemum stunt viroid in chrysanthemum and, to a lesser extent, for chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid in the same crop. However, the majority of viroid infections in ornamental crops are not accompanied by a disease. Nonetheless, even asymptomatic infections may result in indirect impact related to trade effects. For example, infected ornamental plants may be economically significant by acting as a source of viroid inoculum for other crops suffering severe losses when infected by viroids.