Assessment of the main stone fruit viruses and viroids in Algeria

In order to improve the sanitary status of the propagating material of stone fruits, a field survey was conducted to assess the main viruses and viroids affecting stone fruits in selected growing areas and their distribution on the collected material by using serological and molecular detection methods.

Serological assays were carried out to detect Plum pox virus (PPV), Prunus necrotic ring spot virus (PNRSV), Prune dwarf virus (PDV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV) and Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV). Moreover, tissue-print hybridization was performed to detect Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) and Hop stunt viroid (HSVd).

Among nearly 2000 trees tested, no PPV infection was detected, while 14% of them positively reacted to at least one virus. The highest infection rate (18%) was reported in both nurseries and commercial orchards. PNRSV was the most detected virus (9%), followed by ApMV (3%) and PDV (1.5%). Cherry was the most infected species (20%). As for viroids, a high infection rate was recorded for PLMVd (9%) and HSVd (5%); the highest infection rate was reported in mother blocks and varietal collections.