During 2005–2007, under the environmental conditions of Cacak (43°53’N; 20°21’E), western Serbia, the effect of
Plum pox virus (PPV) on the phenology of vegetative shoot and fruit growth was investigated in a plum orchard of cv. ‘Cacanska Rodna’ including
trees non-infected with PPV and those with infection and clearly visible symptoms, as verified by RT-PCR. The results showed
that PPV did not affect the growth phenology of the vegetative shoot (length and thickness) and the fruit growth. However,
it caused negative effects on the average length (22.31 ± 0.28 cm in non-infected trees, 18.35 ± 0.07 cm in infected trees)
and thickness (4.21 ± 0.03 mm in non-infected trees, 4.01 ± 0.02 mm in infected trees) of vegetative shoots as well as on
the average fruit weight (20.43 ± 0.16 g in non-infected fruits, 17.58 ± 0.18 g in infected fruits) and fruit dimensions.
The greatest effect of PPV during the trial was the induction of a massive premature fruit drop and, consequently, a 52.94%
decrease in total yields per tree (18.0 ± 1.10 kg) and unit area (12.0 ± 0.89 t ha
-1) in infected vs non-infected trees.
Keywords Fruits -
Plum pox virus
- Stress - Vegetative shoots - Yield