Peach Stolbur

The causal agent of stolbur in peach is phytoplasma of the 16SrXII-A group. The crop is also susceptible to a wide range of other phytoplasma groups, making diagnosis based on external symptoms difficult, as the infection is more commonly described as a wilting or general decline syndrome.

Characteristic symptoms include premature yellowing and curling of leaf blades, the formation of "witches' brooms" or rosetting, as well as progressive dieback of individual branches or the entire tree within one to two seasons. Flower deformations specific to solanaceous crops do not typically occur in peach stolbur.

Data regarding the presence of specific resistance genes to the stolbur phytoplasma in peach are unavailable. A race classification of the pathogen for this crop has not been developed, as phytoplasmas are primarily classified by their ribosomal groups based on 16S rRNA gene analysis.