Monitoring: Volunteers and Their Role in Data Collection and Education

Rose rosette disease was described on the North American continent in the early 1940s.  The causal agent, Rose Rosette Virus, was described in 2011. Current information notes that all roses are susceptible to this disease yet there are indications that some appear to be more tolerant than others.  In the past few years, this disease has gained widespread notoriety as symptoms appear to be more prevalent. Thus there is a growing concern of increased incidence by all those who like roses.  A lack of understanding of the pathogen, vector and the disease has lead to conflicting recommended management methods.  In this project, volunteers are utilized to help monitor the extent of the disease, to gain a better understanding of the geographic range of the disease, which cultivars it is able to infect and which it does not infect, and also to help spread scientifically sound information regarding this disease and the pathogen that causes it. To encourage volunteers to commit to the monitoring effort, various outreach strategies are used.  These include educational meetings, factsheets, posters and workshops where participants are taught to recognize suspicious symptoms.  An app allowing volunteers to report suspected finds captures location and cultivar data, so an expert can verify that information.  A key element to volunteer recruitment and retention is their realization that their contribution is critical to improved management practices for RRD and a step toward the development of rose rosette disease resistant plants. It is hoped that through the collective monitoring effort, researchers will gain a better understanding of the disease and identify potentially resistant roses and the general public will learn the best management practices for RRD and can effectively help to slow its spread.