Cut-flowers are important commodities for strengthening the economy of farmers who were depended on crops like rice and wheat. A number of cut flower crops have been introduced in hills of Himachal Pradesh for this purpose with Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) playing a pivotal role. The cultivation of ornamental crops viz. Aglaonema, Alstroemeria, Begonia, Chrysanthemum, Carnation, Freesia, Gerbera, Gladiolus, Iris, Lilium, Lisianthus, Narcissus, Rose, Tuberose and Tulip is limited due to infecting viruses and viriods when these crops are grown in the field for some duration and seasons. This has led to frequent disease outbreaks which need efficient and effective diagnosis. Tools like electron microscopy, immunosorbent electron microscopy, ELISA, PCR/RT-PCR/IC-RT-PCR and nucleic acid hybridization have been employed for diagnosis of Dasheen mosaic (DsMV), Alstroemeria carlavirus, Alstroemeria mosaic (AlMV), Cucumber mosaic (CMV), Tospo virus, Carnation etched ring (CERV), Carnation mottle (CarMV), Carnation ringspot (CRSV), Tomato aspermy (TAV), Chrysanthemum B (CVB), Bean yellow mosaic (BYMV), Tobacco mosaic (TMV), Tobacco rattle (TRV), Tobacco ring spot (TRSV), Iris mild mosaic (IMMV), Iris severe mosaic (ISMV), Lily mottle (LMoV), Lily symptomless (LSV), Tulip breaking (TBV), Strawberry latent ringspot (SLRSV), Apple mosaic (ApMV), Arabis mosaic (ArMV), Prunus necrotic ring spot (PNRSV), Cymbidium mosaic (CymMV) and Odontoglossum ring spot (ORSV) viruses in above crops. For antibodies against indigenous isolates, antisera has been raised in rabbits using expressed coat protein gene in E.coli. Protocols were standardized for ArMV and SLRSV diagnosis through RT-PCR in nematodes. Complete genome sequences of CMV, CarMV, CERV, CVB, CymMV, LSV and Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) have been established. Protocols for production of virus tested plants in vitro have been standardized. The technology is being used so as to train farmers and NGO's so that they are competent to produce and maintain quality planting material. Recent focus has been on study of host pathogen interaction, transcriptomics and understanding role of viral suppressor molecules in disease management. This review describes the current research status and future prospects of viral disease management in floricultural crops.
