Diseases

Plum Pox

Prunus domestica L.

The most dangerous viral disease of European plum, caused by the RNA-containing Plum pox virus (PPV), which leads to fruit deformation and premature crop drop.

In the reference 178 varieties crop European plum, where this is mentioned in the description.

The causative agent of the disease is the Plum pox virus (PPV), belonging to the genus Potyvirus. Among the ten known strains of the virus, PPV-M is considered the most epidemiologically dangerous for plum, characterized by a high rate of spread by aphids, whereas the PPV-D strain is transmitted less efficiently.

Symptoms of infection manifest as a mosaic pattern of light rings and bands on the leaves, as well as depressed spots on the fruits. The tissue under the spots on the fruit becomes firm and takes on a reddish-brown hue, which is accompanied by gum exudation, loss of flavor quality, and stone deformation.

Due to the scarcity of natural immunity sources in the plum gene pool, breeding is aimed at creating tolerant varieties. Biotechnological control methods utilize the transformation of the viral coat protein (CP) gene, which induces RNA silencing mechanisms, providing plant resistance to infection.

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

Sources8

Varieties of European plum 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.