Usefulness of Prunus tomentosa as an indicator for plum pox potyvirus
Prunus persica GF 305 is an efficient and widely used woody indicator for plum pox potyvirus (PPV - EPPO A2 quarantine pest). However, it cannot differentiate between the various serotypes (Marcus, Dideron, El-Amar). In some countries, the lack of seed supply has lead to the use of P. persica Siberian C, on which symptoms of PPV are less obvious. Prunus tomentosa is also known as a good indicator but has not been widely used. Experiments were carried out in USA on the comparative usefulness of those three indicators. The authors have found that P. tomentosa (a hybrid line produced by the WSU-Prosser Experiment Station, USA) was an excellent woody indicator, as it could differentiate PPV from other Prunus viruses (prunus necrotic ringspot ilarvirus, prune dwarf ilarvirus and sour cherry green ring mottle virus) and also between PPV-M and PPV-D (all PPV strains caused chlorotic symptoms but only PPV-M strains developed extensive necrosis). As not all P. tomentosa plants become infected after graft-inoculation (because of the uneven distribution of PPV in Prunus), the authors recommended that at least 5 five replicates should be used in testing programmes.
Sources
Damsteegt, V.D.; Waterworth, H.E.; Mink, G.I.; Howell, W.E.; Levy, L. (1997) Prunus tomentosa as a diagnostic host for detection of plum pox virus and other Prunus viruses.
Plant Disease, 81(4), 329-332.