Current situation of sharka disease in Ankara,Turkey

Sharka disease has a limited distribution in Turkey and does not present a problem for stone fruit production. However, sharka is the most common virus disease of apricots, plums and peaches in Ankara, although it is not a common disease in other cities in Turkey. In different parts of Ankara, 212 private gardens in 21 locations were surveyed forPlum pox virus (PPV) incidence. All together 935 trees of apricot, plum, peach, sweet cherry and sour cherry were sampled and tested for the presence ofPPV by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA).PPV was identified in numerous trees,viz. 286 apricots, 172 plums and 65 peaches. Strain differentiation ofPPV was accomplished using double-antibody sandwich indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DASI-ELISA). These assays confirmed the presence of isolates belonging toPPV-M, PPV-D and mixed infections ofPPV-M+D. This is the first report of the presence ofPPV-D and mixed infections ofPPV-M+D in Turkey. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 14, 2004.