Diseases

Plum Pox (Sharka) — bullace, damson, mirabelle

Prunus domestica L. subsp. insititia (L.) C. K. Schneid.

A viral disease caused by Plum pox virus (PPV) affecting mirabelle, damson, and bullace. It manifests as chlorotic spots on leaves and fruit deformation, although in some varieties, the infection may remain latent.

In the reference 6 varieties crop Damson, where this is mentioned in the description.

The causative agent of the disease is the Plum pox virus (PPV), which belongs to the family Potyviridae. Typical symptoms for this crop include spring chlorotic spots, rings, and stripes on the leaves, which often become less noticeable during hot periods of the growing season. On the fruit, the infection causes sunken spots, necrosis, and deformations, rendering the harvest unsuitable for use, although some mirabelle varieties exhibit a latent form of the disease.

No genotypes with complete immunity have been identified within this subspecies. Resistance to the virus is determined not by the presence of specific genes, but by a mechanism of quantitative resistance or a hypersensitive response (HR), which blocks the systemic spread of the virus through plant tissues. Breeding efforts for these crops are based on the selection of hybrids capable of exhibiting hypersensitivity.

General information about the subject — on the page Plum Pox (Sharka).

Sources8

Varieties of Damson mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.