Experimental Transmission of Plum Pox Virus (PPV) to Prunus Mahaleb and Prunus avium

Sharka caused by plum pox virus (PPV) is a disease spread in France since 1970, and causing severe damages essentially on apricot but also on plums and peach. Cherry is generally considered as not infected by PPV. Experimental transmissions by chip budding or aphids allowed to show that 3 isolates of PPV can multiply inside three cherry rootstocks (P. Mahaleb cv.‘SL 64′, P. avium cv.‘F 12-1′, and P. avium*P. pseudocerasus cv. ‘Colt') (Tables 1 and 2). But generally, the virus remained localized to the infection site and disappeared quickly (Table 3). Typical symptoms of chlorotic ringspot or vein clearing are also limited to the leaves probed by the aphids. The fact that no translocation was detected is discussed.