Using ELISA and PCR to test the potential for spread of plum pox virus by seeds of different stone fruit cultivars

Abstract

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test the potential for spread of plum pox virus (PPV) by seeds of the apricot (Prunus armeniaca) varieties ‘Tyrinthos’ and ‘Bebecou’, and the stone fruit rootstocks ‘GF305’ (Prunus persica) and ‘Myrobalan’ (Prunus cerasifera). Seeds originating from infected ‘Tyrinthos’, ‘Bebecou’, ‘GF305’, and ‘Myrobalan’ trees were stratified in metal boxes containing sand in a screenhouse. Leaves were collected from each of the seedlings and tested for PPV. No seedling was found infected with this pathogen. Our results suggest that at least in the cultivars tested, PPV is not seed transmitted. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.