VIRUSES OF SWEET AND SOUR CHERRY IN SERBIA

Abstract

SUMMARY One hundred twenty-five trees (each of a different cultivar) of sour and sweet cherry from two large varietal collections in Serbia were visually inspected for virus symptoms and tested for the presence of cherry viruses by ELISA, herbaceous host assays, graft-indexing on P. serrulata cv. Kwanzan, and RT-PCR. All samples were tested by ELISA for Prunus necrotic ring spot virus (PNRSV), Prune dwarf virus (PDV), Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), and Plum pox virus (PPV). The overall detection of PDV, PNRSV, and ACLSV was 63%. Additional ELISA tests were done on 80 trees for Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), Strawberry latent ring spot virus (SLRSV), Petunia asteroid mosaic virus (PetAMV), Raspberry ringspot virus (RpRSV), Tomato black ring virus (TBRV), Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), and Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV). In these tests, one tree tested positive for PetAMV. RT-PCR testing of 44 trees detected another five viruses: Cherry green ring mottle virus (CGRMV), Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus (CNRMV), Cherry virus A (CVA), European rusty mottle associated virus (ERMaV) and Plum bark necrosis and stem pitting-associated virus (PBNSPaV), but not Cherry mottle leaf virus (CMLV). In graft-indexing tests on Kwanzan with all 125 trees, samples from 38 trees induced symptoms of necrotic crook disease (causal agent unknown). Viruses reported for the first time in Serbia were CGRMV, CNRMV, CVA, ERMaV, PBNSPaV, and PetAMV.