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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Plum Pox, was Apricots from Afghanistan

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  • From: Melissa Kacalanos <mijwiz@yahoo.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Plum Pox, was Apricots from Afghanistan
  • Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:06:23 -0700 (PDT)

Apparently, plum pox actually can be transmitted through seeds:
http://www.actahort.org/books/130/130_51.htm
But these apricot seedlings didn't actually get the disease, even though they came from infected trees:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10073234

In other species, for other viruses, seeds are generally a safe way too get virus-free plants. I know, for instance, that lilies are often grown from seed to avoid viruses that infect vegetatively-propagated plants. Of course, that might not be relevant to this virus.

This page:
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactSheets/plumpoxvirus/plumpox.htm
says:
" PPV was introduced into several European countries via infected nursery stock or infected buds grafted onto healthy trees. This is the only known method of long-distance transmission."

This one little apricot seedling of mine looks perfectly healthy.

I guess everyone has to make up their own minds about whether or not they want to risk planting these. Let me know if you'd still like seeds.

Melissa

--- On Sun, 4/11/10, Scott Smith <scott@cs.jhu.edu> wrote:

From: Scott Smith <scott@cs.jhu.edu>
Subject: [NAFEX] Apricots from Afghanistan
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Date: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 8:22 AM


Great point Scott: is there any way we can tell if the plant has Plum Pox while it is still growing inside the house/quarantined before planting it outside where it could infect local stone fruits?

Sarah
zone 3
Edmonton, AB

Sarah, if you search the web you will find many pictures of the leaf damage, if it is as obvious as the samples they show in the pictures it seems pretty easy to detect.  It is also good to look at the map of the world to see where it is present:


I have grown out a few prunus seeds from overseas but only from the non-red countries.  Afghanistan is not red but the government is so fractured there it may be just a lack of information; Iran next door is red.  Overall I feel its best to be very conservative on this disease, it has overrun Chile and it could do the same in the US.

Scott




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