St. Paul, MN (February 23, 2000) - The most destructive and feared viral disease of peaches, cherries, plums and related fruits, including almonds, was recently found in the United States. "The disease was first recognized in October 1999 on peaches in Adams County, Pennsylvania, and subsequently confirmed as the viral disease, Plum Pox," according to Cynthia Ash, Director of Scientific Services for the American Phytopathological Society (APS). The disease is transmitted by more than 20 different aphid species and through the movement of nursery stock, budwood, and grafting.
In response to the introduction of this serious plant pathogen, which does not infect humans or animals, APS partnered with USDA-APHIS-PPQ (The US Department of Agriculture¹s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine Unit) to develop a national web feature on the disease including an extensive photo gallery of symptoms and a listing of web links to local sites. Visit www.scisoc.org . Detailed information on the disease is presented in the feature. In addition, the partnership developed a full-color fact sheet available on the website as a downloadable file or from USDA State Plant Health Directors as a printed sheet.
Since this disease impacts not only commercial fruit growers, but nursery professionals and subsequently anyone growing these fruits, a 2-hour live virtual telephone/web seminar on Plum Pox was presented on Tuesday, February 29, 2000. The seminar featured plant pathologists from USDA-APHIS-PPQ who discussed disease resistance, the history and biology of the virus, insect transmission, disease detection and symptoms, and the latest on survey, testing and quarantine issues. For more information on the seminar visit http://www.scisoc.org/PlumPox/top.html , or phone APS at +1.651.454.7250.
APS is a non-profit, professional scientific organization dedicated to the study and control of plant disease with 5,000 members worldwide.