Plum pox potyvirus in cherry in eastern Europe
After the first report of plum pox potyvirus in cherry in Moldova (in 1989) and later in Bulgaria (in 1992), this virus was also included in regular serological screening of cherry mother trees in Hungary since 1992 (Kölber et al., 1997). During a five-year survey, approximately 4000 sweet cherry trees (including 22 cultivars), 5000 sour cherry trees (including 16 cultivars) and rootstocks were tested by ELISA. As a result, 385 out of more than 9000 tested trees gave positive results by ELISA. Some of the trees which gave high ELISA values were indexed on peach GF305 and GF31 in the field or in the greenhouse. In spring 1997, slight leaf symptoms appeared only on one GF 305 indicator plant (out of four) for one ELISA positive cherry tree of cultivar Van. This cultivar, as well as several other sweet and sour cherry cultivars, were then found to be infected with PPV in spring 1997 by ELISA, RT-PCR and IC-RT-PCR.
The Hungarian isolate from sweet cherry cv. Van was studied by molecular techniques and it was shown that it belonged to the established PPV-C subgroup (Nemchinov et al., 1997). It is felt that PPV-C may be more widespread in eastern Europe than was originally thought.
Sources
Kölber, M.; Németh, M.; Papp., E.; Kiss, E.; Pocsai, E.; Hangyal, R.; Tokes, G.; Krizbai, L.; Bereczki, Zs.; Szonyegi, S.; Pete, A.; Vollent, A.; Takacs, M.; Bencze, E.; Mero, F.; Hajnoczy, G.Y.; Imre, P. (1997) Five-year study for the determination of eventual occurrence of plum pox virus in cherry cultivars in Hungary.
Abstract of a poster presented at the ISHS XVII International Symposium on virus diseases of fruit trees, Bethesda, US, 1997-06-23/27, p 132.
Nemchinov, L.; Kölber, M.; Németh, M.; Hadidi, A. (1997) Molecular evidence for the occurrence of plum pox virus-C subgroup in Hungary.
Abstract of a paper presented at the ISHS XVII International Symposium on virus diseases of fruit trees, Bethesda, US, 1997-06-23/27, p 54.