Occurrence of cherry green ring mottle virus in New Zealand

Abstract

A disease of flowering cherry characterised by epinasty of foliagc, stunting of trees, and roughening of bark, and accompanied by excessive graft failures, caused serious losses in two nurseries on Kanzan and three other varieties. The causal agent was diagnosed as cherry grccn ring mottle virus (GRMV). Infection was shown to come from mazzard rootstocks raised from root cuttings taken from sweet cherry nursery trees. Complete control in the nurseries was achieved by the use of mazzard seedling rootstocks. The virus, carried without symptoms, was found to be prevalent in sweet and mazzard cherries and to occur in some peach and nectarine varieties.