Genetic variability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plum pox virus</Emphasis> isolates in the Czech Republic

Plum pox virus (PPV), the causal agent of Sharka disease, is an important pathogen of stone fruit trees. In this study, 24 new Czech PPV isolates from five different orchards were collected and characterized, molecularly. PPV-D isolates were identified in all orchards studied; whereas PPV-Rec isolates were identified in only two of them. A phylogenetic analysis on (Cter) NIb-(Nter) CP was performed. Three Czech PPV-D isolates BOH11CZ, BOH12CZ, and BOH13CZ diverged into a significantly separated cluster. PPV-Rec isolates formed a fairly homogenous group. However, the Bohutice and the Lipov PPV-Rec isolates clustered in two significantly separated branches.     

Genetic analysis suggests a long and largely isolated evolutionary history of plum pox virus strain D in Turkey

Plum pox virus (PPV) strain D is globally distributed and causes serious losses in stone fruits in over 40 countries. Here, full-length genomic sequences were analysed for 44 PPV-D isolates from all regions of Turkey, together with partial sequences for a larger number of isolates. PPV-D isolates from Turkey are similar to other PPV-D isolates in all major genomic features. However, the majority of Turkish PPV-D isolates form separate phylogenetic clusters from all other isolates and show a geographical clustering tendency, suggestive of limited movement between regions. In particular, PPV-D isolates from Thrace and Central Anatolia formed a monophyletic sister cluster to the cluster that includes all previously known PPV-D isolates. Two isolates with strong evidence of recombination with the PPV-T strain were identified, together with two isolates with weaker evidence for intra-D strain recombination. The genetic diversity of PPV-D was found to be particularly high in Turkey (0.017 ± 0.001%), close to that observed for PPV-D world diversity once the over-represented isolates from Japan, the USA and Canada have been excluded (0.020 ± 0.001%). Taken together, these results suggest a long and largely isolated evolutionary history of PPV-D in Turkey and further extend knowledge of the diversity of this highly successful strain. The high diversity of PPV-D in Turkey, together with the basal phylogenetic position of Turkish isolates, are compatible with a hypothesis making Turkey the centre of origin of the D strain.