Plum pox virus (PPV), a member of the genus Potyvirus, is the causal agent of Sharka, the most detrimental disease of stone-fruit trees worldwide. PPV isolates are grouped into seven distinct strains. The minor PPV-W strain was established recently for the divergent W3174 isolate found in Canada. Here, the partial or complete genomic sequences of four PPV-W isolates from Latvia have been determined. The completely sequenced isolates LV-141pl and LV-145bt share 93.1 and 92.1% nucleotide identity, respectively, with isolate W3174, with two regions of higher (>20%) divergence in the P1/HC-Pro and NIa (VPg) regions. Further analyses demonstrated that these two regions correspond to two independent recombination events in the W3174 genome, one involving PPV-M (approximate genome positions 692 to 1424) and the other PPV-D (nucleotides 5672 to 5789). The LV-141pl and LV-145bt isolates appear to be representatives of the "ancestral" PPV-W strain, not affected by recombination. The PPV-W intrastrain variability is substantially higher than that of all other PPV strains, with potential implications for the serological detection of PPV-W isolates. A PPV-W-specific primer pair has been developed, allowing the specific reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction detection of all five presently available W isolates. The characterization of these new PPV-W isolates sheds light on PPV-W evolutionary history, further supports the hypothesis of its East-European origin, and opens the way for the biological and epidemiological characterization of this poorly known PPV strain.

Proper selection of rootstock that is adapted to local growing conditions and climate is one of the most important preconditions for obtaining high yield in intensive plum orchards. The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the influence of different rootstocks on the productivity of two plum cultivars: ‘Kubanskaya Kometa’ (Prunus rossica. Erem.) and ‘Victoria’ (P. domestica L.) in different climatic conditions. The following sixteen rootstocks known in Europe were used in the trial: eight vegetatively propagated (‘St. Julien A’, ‘Brompton’, ‘Ackermann’, ‘Pixy’, ‘GF 8/1’, ‘G 5/22’, ‘GF 655/2’, ‘Hamyra’) and eight generatively propagated (‘St. Julien INRA2’, ‘St. Julien d’Orleans’, ‘St. Julien Noir’, ‘Brompton’, ‘Wangenheims Zwetsche’, ‘St. Julien Wädenswil’, ‘Myrobalan’, P. cerasifera var. divaricata). The evaluation was made in experimental orchards in Latvia, Estonia and Belarus. Orchards were established in spring 2001. Trees were planted at spacing 3 × 5 m in four replications, three trees per plot. The data obtained in years 2008-2015 are presented. The yield was influenced by rootstock and differed between years, growing regions and cultivars. The meteorological conditions during wintering period had significant influence on yield for trees on all evaluated rootstocks.

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The aim of the investigation is to evaluate the influence of different rootstocks on the flowering intensity of two plum cultivars: a hybrid `Kubanskaya Kometa` and European plum ‘Victoria’ in diverse locations. Sixteen well known European rootstocks were used, of which eight were clonal (St. Julien A, Brompton, Ackermann, Pixy, GF8/1, G5/22, GF655/2, Hamyra) and eight were seedlings (St. Julien INRA2, St. Julien d Orleans, St. Julien Noir, Brompton, Wangenheims Zwetche, St. Julien Wädenswil, Myrobalan, P. cerasifera var. divaricata). The evaluation was conducted in experimental orchards which were established in spring 2001 in Latvia, Estonia and Belarus. Trees were planted at a spacing of 5 × 3 m in four replications, three trees per plot. The obtained data from the years 2008-2012 are presented. The flowering intensity of plum trees depended on the cultivar rootstock combination. The influence of rootstock on flowering intensity differed between the years and growing region, and was closely correlates with meteorological conditions during the wintering period. Cv. ‘Kometa Kubanskaya’ had the highest blooming intensity in Pûre on rootstocks GF 655/2 and Wangenheims Zwetche; in Brest on Brompton seedlings, Julien d’ Orleans G5/22 and Ackermann; and in Polli on GF 8/1 and Brompton seedlings. ‘Victoria’ plum trees had the highest intensity of flowering on rootstocks Pixy and Wangenheims Zwetche in Pūre; on St. Julien INRA 2 and Ackermann in Brest; and on GF 655/2 and Ackermann in Polli.