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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Byron, Georgia » Fruit and Tree Nut Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #362776
Research Project: Development of New Stone Fruit Cultivars and Rootstocks for the Southeastern United States

Location: Fruit and Tree Nut Research

Title: Effect of tissue and sampling season on PCR detection of Xylella fastidiosa in peach

Author
item Chen, Chunxian
item Bock, Clive
item BRANNEN, PHILLIP - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2019
Publication Date: 6/24/2019
Citation: Chen, C., Bock, C.H., Brannen, P.M. 2019. Effect of tissue and sampling season on PCR detection of Xylella fastidiosa in peach. American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting. 54(9):S130.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) causes phony peach disease (PPD), which is incurable, vector-transmitted, and periodically rampant in affected peach production regions. In this presentation, we compared the effect of tissue type and sampling season on PCR detection of Xf in phony peach trees using newly developed primers. Among the four peach tissue types tested, only root samples demonstrated reliable and consistent detection of Xf; stem, petiole, and leaf samples, regardless of source trees, primers used, sampling times, or PCR methods, were unreliable for detection, due to insufficient quantity of DNA of Xf in these samples based on the relative quantification assay. Among the three sampling seasons, differences in detection were not obvious in terms of conventional PCR product band intensities, or not significant in terms of quantitative PCR qualification cycle (Cq) values. Furthermore, the Cq means and ratios were analyzed to compare the effects of source tree, tissue type, sampling time, and primer on detection sensitivity. In summary, only samples of root contained sufficient DNA of Xf for reliable and consistent PCR detection of Xf in phony peach trees. The newly developed primers are a useful resource for accurate detection and quantification of Xf, which is needed for epidemiological studies of the pathogen and disease, large-scale surveys of infected trees, and identification of resistant genotypes for use in breeding.