No abstract

Almond leaf scorch disease (ALSD) has recently reemerged in the San Joaquin Valley of California threatening almond production. ALSD is caused by Xylella fastidiosa, a nutritionally fastidious bacterium. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 16S rRNA gene (16S rDNA) of X. fastidiosa strains were identified to characterize the bacterial population in infected trees. Genotype-specific SNPs were used to design primers for multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays of early passage cultures. Two genotypically distinct types of X. fastidiosa strains, G-type and A-type, coexist simultaneously in the same infected almond orchard. This was substantiated by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a different genetic locus, RST31-RST33, which has previously been used to identify and differentiate X. fastidiosa strains. Furthermore, unique bacterial colony morphology was consistently associated with the A-type X. fastidiosa strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a mixed genotype infection of X. fastidiosa disease on the same location under natural environmental conditions. The concept of mixed genotype infection could affect the current epidemiological study based on the assumption that one genotype causes ALSD on one location and, therefore, the disease management strategy.

No abstract

In a 2-year study, thinning Granny Smith apples to one per cluster and covering them with brown paper bags when they were the size of a golf-ball resulted in significantly fewer fruits damaged by codling moth compared with fruits hand-thinned and left untreated. Sunburned fruit were also reduced both years by bagging, and fruit firmness and sweetness were improved in 1 of the 2 years. A similar experiment is now underway with Fuji apples.

The spatial and temporal pattern of noninfectious bud failure (BF) expression (BFexp) was studied during seven growing seasons in a population of `Carmel' almond trees originating from twelve commercial propagation sources. All progeny trees were grown in a single experimental site with high prevailing summer temperatures. BFexp increased continuously but irregularly in each nursery population as measured as the proportion of trees showing BF and as an average BFexp rating. Populations from the 12 nurseries represented increasing clonal generations from the original seedling tree and showed increasing levels of BF, as well as a decreasing shape value and increasing scale value derived by a failure statistics model. Models for development, distribution and hazard functions were defined for each of the 12 sources studied. Only sources from the original tree and source A demonstrated potential for commercial use. A significant correlation was found between average yearly increase in BFexp and the average daytime temperature for the previous June. The June period coincides with a specific stage in the seasonal growth cycle when vegetative buds mature.