In a test of 30 red raspberry(Rubus idaeusL.), hybrid berry, and Boysenberry(R. ursinusChamisso and Schlechtendal) selections, bred in New Zealand or imported from overseas in recent years, only two were found to be infected with raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV). However, 18 were found to be susceptible to infection by graft‐inoculation with the virus. Results of graft‐inoculating eight New Zealand sources of RBDV to cultivars known to be susceptible to the resistance breaking strain (RBDV‐RB), but immune to the common strain (RBDV‐S), suggests that the resistance breaking strain is unlikely to be present in New Zealand. Testing for RBDV in a number of commercial Boysenberry plantings in the Nelson district, indicated that the virus was widespread there in this crop. In tests to produce an indicator for the leaf yellowing symptom of RBDV, ‘Marion’ blackberry(R. ursinusderivative) proved unreliable, but consistent vivid yellows on the red raspberry cultivar ‘Autumn Britten’ (formerly ‘3676/6') suggest it to be the best indicator yet found in New Zealand. The leaf yellows found on the cultivars ‘Southland’ and ‘Taranaki’ may be non‐transmissible syndromes. Leaf symptoms were not found on Boysenberry following graft inoculation with RBDV, and the leaf symptoms caused by black raspberry necrosis virus (BRNV) were not accentuated when combined with RBDV. When thorny and thorn‐free Loganberries(R. loganobaccusBailey) were graft‐inoculated with RBDV, no degeneration of growth was observed.