Info

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Info

• Submitted by Mary McKellar, NEPDN
• Prepared January 2008

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Plum Pox VirusWhy is this a problem?

• Plum pox virus or PPV does not kill trees but
  causes yield losses and reduces the marketability
  of fruit.
• In Europe, reported losses of 80-100 in
  susceptible cultivars.
• PPV was originally on the select agent list. It
  was removed in 2005 but is still a regulated
  pathogen in the U.S.

Photo John Hammond, USDA-ARS
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Plum Pox Virus Disease Distribution
Confirmed locations of PPV in Canada. Map
Source Canadian Food Inspection Agency
http//www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/surv/2003
maps/ppvonqz2003e.shtml
Confirmed Locations of PPV in the United States
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Plum Pox VirusHosts

• Hosts for PPV consist of stone fruits including
  plum, peach, nectarine, apricots, almonds, sweet
  and tart cherries and ornamental Prunus species.
• Wild Prunus species may serve as an important
  secondary host for PPV including
• Blackthorn,
• American plum
• Western sand cherry
• Mahaleb cherry
• Japanese apricot
• Sand cherry
• Hortulan plumDavid peach
• Nanking cherry
• Canada plum
• Beach plum
• English cherry-laurel

Photo Brian Prechtel, USDA-ARS
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Plum Pox Virus What does it look like?

• Fruit
• Lightly pigmented rings.
• Necrotic or brown areas.
• Infected plums and apricots can be deformed and
  have rings on the surface of the seed.
• Leaves
• Yellow veins and yellow to light green rings.
• Flowers
• Streaking on the petals
• Pigmented ring patterns

Photo Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land- und
Forstwirtschaft Archive , www.ipmimages.org
Photos Top K.D. Hickey, Penn State University
and Bottom R. Scorza, USDA
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Plum Pox Virus Disease Transmission

• In orchards, PPV is spread short distances by
  aphids.
• Long distance spread of the disease is
  accomplished by the movement of infected plants
  and plant parts by humans.

Photo Scott Bauer, www.ipmimages.org
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Plum Pox Virus Disease Control

• Control measures for
• PPV include
• field surveys
• eradication of infected trees
• use of certified nursery stock
• control of aphids
• use of resistant cultivars.

Transgenic C5 Plum resistant to PPV contains the
PPV Coat Protein. (Photo Scott Bauer, USDA-ARS)
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Web Links for Further Information

• Plum Pox, USDA-APHIS-PPQ
• http//www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_
  info/
• Plum Pox Information Website, Pennsylvania State
  University
• http//sharka.cas.psu.edu/
• Fact Sheet Plum Pox Virus of Stone Fruits
• http//pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/ul204.pdf
• Plum Pox Resources, WVU Kearneysville Tree Fruit
  Research Education Center
• http//www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/disease_descr
  iptions/ppvresources.html
• Plum Pox Potyvirus Disease of Stonefruits, APSnet
  Article
• http//www.apsnet.org/online/feature/PlumPox/Top.h
  tml
• The Plum Pox Virus Disease of Europe, The
  Horticulture and Food Research
• Institute of New Zealand
• http//www.hortnet.co.nz/publications/science/s/sn
  elling/sharka.htm
• Pox Virus and Other Diseases of Stone Fruits
  Symptoms Booklet,Penn State
• University
• http//ppvbooklet.cas.psu.edu/
• Plum Pox Virus Image Directory, West Virginia
  University
• http//www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/disease_descr
  iptions/PPV/PPVGallery.html
• Plum Pox Image Gallery, APSnet

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References

• NPDN Plum Pox Virus Training Module no. 0004
  December 2006