Articles
Assessment of leaf curl (Taphrina deformans) susceptibility of peach and nectarine accessions in the National Germplasm Repository of CREA-OFA in Rome (Italy)
Article number
1449_48
Pages
355 – 362
Language
English
Abstract
Every year, peach and nectarine trees are affected by several pathogens, among which also the fungus Taphrina deformans Berk., a causal agent of peach leaf curl.
Peach leaf curl represents a serious disease worldwide, whose control is becoming more and more financially challenging.
In addition, fruit growers are facing the problem of progressive restrictions imposed by European and national legislation, especially with regard to the use of copper and dithiocarbamates, necessary to control Taphrina deformans. Over the last 30 years, breeding for resistance to leaf curl has not been particularly fruitful worldwide, and no recent systematic assessment on the susceptibility of the most commercially widespread and autochthonous cultivars is available.
Therefore, a screening on the susceptibility to leaf curl in the large peach and nectarine collection held in the National Collection of Fruit Germplasm at the Research Centre for Olive Fruit and Citrus Crops of the Italian Council for Research in Agriculture and Economics (CREA-OFA) in Rome was carried out between 2018 and 2020. The collection surveyed consisted of 660 peach, 276 nectarine and 56 clingstone cultivars and selections, for a total of 992 accessions.
Infection was evaluated on a 0-4 scale, in which the percentages of infected leaves with respect to all leaves present on the canopy was assessed as: 0 = no visible symptoms; 1 = 1-25% of leaves with symptoms; 2 = 26-50% of leaves with symptoms; 3 = 51-75% of symptomatic leaves; 4 = 76-100% of leaves affected.
Only one cultivar did not show symptoms and scored 0. In total, 37 accessions (3.72%) scored 1; 106 accessions (10.68%) scored 2; 230 accessions (23.18%) scored 3 and 619 accessions (62.39%) scored 4. The results are partially in line with those obtained by other authors, but also update currently available information on the susceptibility to the pathogen of other cultivars for which such information was lacking.
Peach leaf curl represents a serious disease worldwide, whose control is becoming more and more financially challenging.
In addition, fruit growers are facing the problem of progressive restrictions imposed by European and national legislation, especially with regard to the use of copper and dithiocarbamates, necessary to control Taphrina deformans. Over the last 30 years, breeding for resistance to leaf curl has not been particularly fruitful worldwide, and no recent systematic assessment on the susceptibility of the most commercially widespread and autochthonous cultivars is available.
Therefore, a screening on the susceptibility to leaf curl in the large peach and nectarine collection held in the National Collection of Fruit Germplasm at the Research Centre for Olive Fruit and Citrus Crops of the Italian Council for Research in Agriculture and Economics (CREA-OFA) in Rome was carried out between 2018 and 2020. The collection surveyed consisted of 660 peach, 276 nectarine and 56 clingstone cultivars and selections, for a total of 992 accessions.
Infection was evaluated on a 0-4 scale, in which the percentages of infected leaves with respect to all leaves present on the canopy was assessed as: 0 = no visible symptoms; 1 = 1-25% of leaves with symptoms; 2 = 26-50% of leaves with symptoms; 3 = 51-75% of symptomatic leaves; 4 = 76-100% of leaves affected.
Only one cultivar did not show symptoms and scored 0. In total, 37 accessions (3.72%) scored 1; 106 accessions (10.68%) scored 2; 230 accessions (23.18%) scored 3 and 619 accessions (62.39%) scored 4. The results are partially in line with those obtained by other authors, but also update currently available information on the susceptibility to the pathogen of other cultivars for which such information was lacking.
Publication
Authors
D. Lolletti, P. Engel, A. Polito, R. Manganiello, F.R. De Salvador
Keywords
Taphrina deformans, susceptibility, Prunus persica, genetic diversity
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