PRUNUS SPİNOSA L.-A NATURAL WİLD HOST OF SOME IMPORTANT FRUİT VİRUSES İN TEKİRDAĞ, TURKEY

Blackthorn Prunus spinosa L. is a wide spread bush along the road sides, water canals, field borders and hedgerows throughout the Trakya region of Turkey, especially in the Tekirdag province. Fifty four symptom expressing bushes were tested serologically with Double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) tests by employing antisera against Plum pox virus (PPV), Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV) and Apple mosaic virus (ApMV). DAS-ELISA test results revealed that 13 out of 54 samples were found infected by PPV with a rate of 24.1%, 8 out of 54 samples contained ACLSV with a rate of 11.1% and 12 out of 54 of them had ApMV with a rate of 22.2%. One of the PPV infected samples was also subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) molecular test by isolating RNA from PPV infected leaves. By amplifiying specific primers of PPV-M strain, a band was detected 198 bp fragment. The result of DAS-ELISA and RT-PCR test revealed the presence of PPV-M race as well as ACLSV and ApMV in the blackthorn bushes in Tekirdağ. Presence of these viruses in blackthorn bushes make them potential sources of PPV, ACLSV and ApMV in the area which creates a serious threat to newly established fruit orchards in the Trakya region of Turkey. By evaluating serological and the molecular tests this is the first report of the PPV, ACLSV and ApMV which were identified on Prunus spinosa L. in Turkey.