Attempts to Transmit the Causal Agent of a Cherry Stem Pitting Disorder in Washington Sweet Cherry Trees. Abdullah M. Al Musa, Graduate Research Assistant, Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Prosser, WA 99350. G. I. Mink, Plant Pathologist, and J. L. Parsons, Agricultural Research Technologist III, Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Prosser, WA 99350. Plant Dis. 64:1081-1083. Copyright 1980 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-64-1081.

Although dagger nematodes resembling Xiphinema americanum were present in most Washington sweet cherry orchards, we were unable to isolate any virus resembling tomato ringspot virus from stem-pitted sweet cherry trees, from bait plants grown in orchard soils, or from orchard weeds. No pitting developed on stems of cv. Lovell peach, Prunus tomentosa seedlings grown 28 mo in soils taken from under stem-pitted cherry trees, or P. tomentosa or P. mahaleb seedlings graft-inoculated with sweet cherry trees from three orchards. However, some pitted sweet cherry trees in one orchard induced interveinal chlorotic bands on lower leaves of graft-inoculated P. tomentosa seedlings. The causal agent and its relationship to the pitting disorder in sweet cherry trees were not determined. The disorder of sweet cherry trees in Washington appears to differ in etiology from similar diseases in the eastern United States and in California.

Keyword(s): Prunus avium, Prunus stem pitting agents.