Morphological and biological features of Prunus persica (L.) Batsch in connection with the manifestation of viral diseases symptoms

Prunus persica (L) Batsch (syn. Persica vulgaris Mill.) is one of the most popular fruit crops, which is characterized by heat-loving, drought-resistant, high yield and an early ripeness of fruits with a high taste and nutritional properties. It is a large entomophilous plant, which blooms in the Crimea in April at an average daily air temperature of 14-16°С. Flowers are actinomorphic, bisexual, with a short pedicel, appearing before the development of leaves. Perianth is double, 5-membered. Pollen grains of peach are 3-furrowed, 2-celled. The amount of morphologically normal pollen, basically, depends on the cultivar. In the plantations of the peach of the Crimea, cultivars with different degrees of manifestation of the symptoms of viral infections were identified. In the vegetative sphere, changes were manifested in the form of a leaf blades rugosity and chlorotic spots on them. The symptoms are detected on 40-70% of the leaves of the cultivars ‘Crimsky Shedevr’, ‘Mechta’ and ‘Lakomiy’, less in the cultivar ‘Strelec’ (less than 10%). Infection of individual plants of all the cultivars also has a certain influence on the processes of the male generative sphere formation. However, there was no noticeable effect on the viability of pollen, and regardless of the infection of individuals in different cultivars in a solution of 15% sucrose, 30 to 90% of pollen grains germinate.