Presence of European stone fruit yellows (ESFY or 16SrX-B) phytoplasmas in apricots in Austria

Abstract

A severe decline of apricot trees, present in Austria for several years, has recently reached notifiable levels. Initial symptoms on affected trees resemble deficiencies in water and nutrient supplies, expressed as leaf rolling, chlorosis and early reddening, leading to sudden dieback during the growing season. Small, wilted fruit and dried leaves may also persist during the autumn. Phytoplasmas belonging to the 16SrX-B subgroup of European stone fruit yellows (ESFY) were identified by nested polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in a high percentage of affected trees from two different regions of Austaria.