Occurrence of Phytoplasma Infection in European Plums (<i>Prunus domestica</i>)

Twenty strains of the European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) phytoplasma showed great differences in virulence when examined by graft inoculation of trees on peach, peach hybrid GF 677 and P.‘Marianna’ GF 8/1 rootstocks. The most virulent strains killed all trees on peach rootstocks whereas the mild strains did not cause mortality but induced only mild foliar symptoms and slightly reduced vigour. Virulence often depended on the pathogen–scion combination and was in several cases most severe when the scion consisted of the original host of the pathogen. To examine resistance in stone fruits, trees on a total of 23 rootstocks were inoculated with the ESFY strains. Trees on the Prunusdomestica stocks Ackermann’s, Brompton and P 1275 and on Prunuscerasifera stock Myrabi were little affected. Slightly more damage occurred in trees on rootstocks GF 677, GF 8–1, and the P.insititia stocks St Julien A and St Julien GF 655/2. Ishtara, P.cerasifera stock Myrobalan, and peach rootstocks Higama and GF 305 were shown to be moderately susceptible and a high susceptibility was found in trees on peach rootstocks Montclar, peach seedling, Rutgers Red Leaf, and Rubira, on apricot seedlings and St Julien 2. Of flowering cherry trees on various rootstocks, the least susceptible were those on Gisela 3 and F 12/1 whereas Gisela 1, Weihroot 158 and Gisela 5 were more affected. Phytoplasmas were detected by either DAPI (4′‐6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole) staining or polymerase chain reaction in all rootstocks and scions tested. However, detection frequency and phytoplasma concentrations were usually lower in the more tolerant hosts than in susceptible genotypes.

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“…However, phytoplasma detection in stem samples of P. domestica genotypes is not always difficult. Poggi Pollini et al. (1995) and Jarausch et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Strain Virulence of the European Stone Fruit Yellows Phytoplasma and Susceptibility of Stone Fruit Trees on Various Rootstocks to this Pathogen

Kison

Seemüller

2001

Journal of Phytopathology

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“…The psyllid species Cacopsylla pruni Scopoli has been reported to be a vector of the pathogen in northern Italy (Carraro et al., 1998b), southern France (Jarausch et al., 2001) and northeast Spain (Laviña et al., in press). ESFY phytoplasma is widely present in apricot, Japanese plum, European plum ( P. domestica L.) and peach ( P. persica L.) in southern Europe (Poggi Pollini et al., 1993, 1995; Jarausch et al., 1998); Prunus rootstocks are also affected by this disease (Dosba et al., 1991; Jarausch et al., 1998). ESFY phytoplasma has been also detected in wild Prunus species such as Prunus spinosa L. and P. cerasifera Ehrh.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spreading of ESFY Phytoplasmas in Stone Fruit in Catalonia (Spain)

Torres

Martı́n

Paltrinieri

et al. 2004

Journal of Phytopathology

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A survey was carried out in nine stone fruit commercial orchards located in Barcelona province where plum and apricot trees of different cultivars showing European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) symptoms were present. A 4-year survey with visual inspection of symptoms in one apricot orchard showed a rather high ESFY disease spread, also in a Japanese plum plantation newly infected plants were detected every year in a similar rate (about 2%). All the inspected symptomatic trees were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tested and ESFY phytoplasma identity was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and sequencing of ribosomal DNA amplification products. In apricot plantation the detection of ESFY phytoplasma was also tested on 69 asymptomatic trees sampled in summer 2002. The nested PCR with 16SrX groupspecific primers allowed detection of ESFY phytoplasmas in 50% of the trees that indeed showed symptoms by the next winter (2003). The molecular detection of ESFY phytoplasma in asymptomatic apricot trees indicates the risk of maintaining phytoplasma foci in the fields where eradication is based only on visual inspection.

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“…It is associated with the apple proliferation (AP) phytoplasma (Giannotti et al, 1968;Bonnet et al, 1990). In European stone fruits, apricot chlorotic leaf roll (Morvan, 1977) and plum leptonecrosis (Guinchedi et al, 1982) are the most important diseases of apricots and Japanese plums but decline disorders of peach (Poggi Pollini et al, 1993;Marcone et al, 1995) and European plum (Dosba et al, 1991;Poggi Pollini et al, 1995) are also widespread. All these diseases of stone fruits in Europe are associated with the same type of phytoplasma, the European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) phytoplasma (Lorenz et al, 1994;Jarausch et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoplasma transmission by in vitro graft inoculation as a basis for a preliminary screening method for resistance in fruit trees

Jarausch¹,

Lansac²,

Bliot³

et al. 1999

Plant Pathology

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In vitro grafting was tested as a technique for inoculating Prunus rootstock Prunus marianna GF 8-1 with European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) phytoplasmas and apple rootstock Malus pumila MM106 with apple proliferation (AP) phytoplasmas. In vitro shoot cultures of ESFY-infected Prunus marianna GF 8-1 and AP-infected Malus pumila MM106 were used as graft inoculum to transmit the phytoplasmas to the respective healthy rootstock. Phytoplasma transmission was assessed after a graft contact of 1, 2 or 3 months. Healthy autografts were used as controls to monitor parameters of in vitro grafting. Successful graft union formation ranged from 58 to 79% irrespective of the plant species and the sanitary state of the graft. Pathogen-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to test the inoculated rootstocks for the presence of ESFY and AP phytoplasmas, respectively. The rate of ESFY phytoplasma transmission in successful Prunus-grafts increased from 69 to 94% with the time of contact. AP phytoplasma transmission to Malus occurred in 80 to 97% of successful grafts. To our knowledge this is the first report of phytoplasma transmission by grafting in vitro. The results provide a good basis for the establishment of a preliminary in vitro screening method for phytoplasma resistance in Prunus and Malus.

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Occurrence of Phytoplasma Infection in European Plums (Prunus domestica)

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

Differences in Strain Virulence of the European Stone Fruit Yellows Phytoplasma and Susceptibility of Stone Fruit Trees on Various Rootstocks to this Pathogen

Differences in Strain Virulence of the European Stone Fruit Yellows Phytoplasma and Susceptibility of Stone Fruit Trees on Various Rootstocks to this Pathogen

Spreading of ESFY Phytoplasmas in Stone Fruit in Catalonia (Spain)

Phytoplasma transmission by in vitro graft inoculation as a basis for a preliminary screening method for resistance in fruit trees

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