EVALUATION OF RESISTANCE TO SHARKA IN THE BREEDING APRICOT PROGRAM IN CEBAS-CSIC IN MURCIA (SPAIN)

In the apricot breeding program to obtain cultivars resistant to sharka developed at CEBAS (Murcia, Spain), the resistance to sharka of the seedlings obtained within this program is evaluated.
The advantages and disadvantages of each step of this process are reported.
The germination of GF305 seeds should be made either by stratification at 7°C during 10–14 weeks or by elimination of the shell and pellicle in the case of urgent necessity of material (1–3 weeks). The inoculations both mechanical and by injection (either with herbaceous or woody sources) did not give good results; the inoculation with a chip (bark) of diseased GF305 was the most appropriate.
An inoculation method grafting the apricot in an inoculated rootstock showing strong sharka symptoms, is proposed.
The best time for grafting seems to be May; as rootstock, the Real Fino had a better behaviour than the GF305 in the bud breaking.
The artificial period of rest should be 9 weeks for the GF305 and 11 for the apricots in a chamber at 7°C.

XI International Symposium on Apricot Culture

P. Martínez-Gómez, F. Dicenta

Prunus armeniaca L., Plum pox virus, resistance, breeding

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.488.122