First report of little cherry disease from sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and sour cherry (P. cerasus) in the Czech Republic.

摘要

In 2007 and 2008, sweet and sour cherry trees with Little cherry disease (LChD) symptoms were surveyed in orchards in the East Bohemia Region of the Czech Republic. The presence of LChD was determined by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and woody indicator plants. Different parts of plants were taken from trees with suspicious symptoms to observe the dynamics of virus infection in 2009. Total RNA was isolated from young leaves, blossoms, fruits, and fully developed leaves. According to the preliminary results, young leaves from buds (67% of the samples of selected trees with LChD were positive), blossoms (67% positive), and leaves taken in the autumn (67% positive) were optimum for the detection of LChD by RT-PCR. The trial with woody indicator plant species was established in the field. Woody indicators remained symptomless throughout the first year of observation, but the indicators showed red coloration of leaves in the late summer of the second year. P. avium cv. Canindex appeared to be the best woody indicator for testing of LChD in the climatic conditions of the Czech Republic. This is thought to be the first report of LChD in the Czech Republic.