Articles
VIRUSES OF PEACH, PLUM AND APRICOT IN APULIA
Virus detection was made by mechanical transmission to herbaceous hosts and DAS-ELISA. All candidate mother plants were checked individually for the presence of plum pox potyvirus (PPV) prunus necrotic ringspot (PNRV), prune dwarf (PDV) and apple mosaic (ApMV) ilarviruses and apple chlorotic leafspot closterovirus (ACLSV), using both commercial ELISA kits and locally produced antisera.
ELISA-negative mother plants were checked for the presence of other mechanically or graft-trasmissible viruses.
A total of 2090 apparently symptomless plants were tested (370 apricot , 1397 peach and 323 plum trees) belonging to 91 different cultivars (15 apricot, 43 peach and 33 plum).
About 30% of the plants were shown by ELISA to be infected by at least one virus (apricot 36%, peach 29% and plum 25%). In particular, the prevailing viruses were PNRV (54% in peach, 46% in plum and 39% in apricot) and ACLSV (53% in apricot, 50% in peach and 33% in plum). Infections by PDV (39% in plum, 6% in peach and 5% in apricot) and by ApMV (21% in plum, 20% in apricot and 2% in peach) were less represented although these are the most widely distributed viruses in cherry and almond trees in Apulia.
No virus or virus-like agents were detected in ELISA negative plants by mechanical inoculations or graft transmission to GF 305.