Location of Plum Pox Virus in Peach and Apricot trees

National audienceIn order to describe the preferential locations of Plum pox virus (PPV) in Prunus trees, experiments are performed by ELISA detection of the virus in aphid inoculated apricot and peach trees grown in plain soil under screen house to avoid undesired inoculation by wandering aphids. Data show that PPV multiplies in inoculated leaves of apricot more frequently than in peach leaves, suggesting that cell to cell translocation is easier in apricot than in peach. On the other hand, the long range translocation is easier and faster in peach than in apricot. In systemically infected Prunus, it appears that the highest PPV concentrations are observed in short yearly twigs growing horizontally or in the bottom part of fast growing yearly twigs