Stone fruit surveys in Texas monitoring for plum pox virus, European stone fruit yellows, phony peach disease, & light brown apple moth: 2017-2018
S. Corinne Rhodes: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
<div>The Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab continued participation in the National Stone Fruit Survey in 2017, monitoring for pest and pathogens of concern for the stone fruit industry in Texas. The Texas A&M stone fruit breeding plots and orchards in six different counties in Texas were tested for the presence of plum pox virus (PPV). A total of 462 foliar peach and plum samples were tested for PPV. For virus detection, each sample was tested by ELISA using Agdia ELISA kits following USDA APHIS PPQ and National Plant Diagnostic Network protocols. All 462 samples tested negative for all strains of PPV. Additionally, 834 visual observations were made for European stone fruit yellows (ESFY, causal agent ‘<em>Candidatus</em> Phytoplasma prunorum’) and phony peach disease (PPD, causal agent <em>Xylella fastidiosa</em>). Disease symptoms were not observed in the surveyed orchards. Jackson traps were also set in each orchard to screen for the light brown apple moth (LBAM, <em>Epiphyas postvittana</em>). A total of 66 traps were collected and LBAM was not observed. These continued survey efforts ensure that stone fruit orchards in Texas remain free of these invasive threats and allow for their early detection if they are introduced. Surveying will continue in 2018, focusing on PPV, ESFY, PPD and LBAM.</div>
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