ISHS Acta Horticulturae 657: XIX International Symposium on Virus and Virus-like Diseases of Temperate Fruit Crops - Fruit Tree Diseases
CURRENT STATUS OF SHARKA DISEASE IN SLOVENIA |
| Authors: | M. Viršček, I. Mavrič |
| Keywords: | Plum pox potyvirus, PPV, epidemiology, survey, Slovenia |
| Abstract:
Sharka symptoms were first observed in Slovenia in 1987. In the first years after the confirmation of sharka presence in Slovenia regular visual inspections and testing showed the presence of sharka in all regions of stone fruit production. The infection was most severe in the eastern part of Slovenia, where also nurseries were found to be infected. After eradication of infected plant propagation material most of the nurseries in the eastern part ceased the production of stone fruit propagation material. In the second half of the nineties visual inspections and serological testing revealed PPV infections in some other nurseries, therefore a systematic survey was initiated to prevent and control the spread of sharka and to establish pest-free production sites. In the first three years of the systematic survey (1998-2000) the presence of PPV was monitored also outside plant propagation material production sites and their buffer zones. The results confirmed an overall presence of PPV in Slovenia. Since 2000 the survey focused mainly on nurseries, mother trees, stool-beds, their buffer zones and consignments of imported plant propagation material. In spite of strict supervision and eradication measures the incidence of sharka in plant propagation material production sites increased until 2002. Simultaneously, import of propagation material proved to be hazardous, since infection with PPV was confirmed in 2 out of 10 consignments of plant propagation material in 2000 and in 2 out of 8 consignments in 2001. A notable decrease in the number of PPV infected mother plants and nurseries was finally established in 2002. The rapid increase of sharka incidence observed in the last years is very likely the result of the rapid spread of Marcus strain (PPV-M), which was found to be present in all infected peach orchards tested for this strain in 2001 and 2002. | |
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