Application of biotechniques for in vitro virus and viroid elimination in pome fruit crops

Authors: BETTONI, JEAN - Collaborator; WANG, MIN-RUI - Chinese Academy Of Tropical Agricultural Sciences; LI, JING-WEI - Northwest A&f University; FAN, XUDONG - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; Fazio, Gennaro; HURTADO-GONZALES, OSCAR - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); Volk, Gayle; WANG, QIAO-CHUN - Northwest A&f University

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/21/2023
Publication Date: 2/26/2024
Citation: Bettoni, J.C., Wang, M., Li, J., Fan, X., Fazio, G., Hurtado-Gonzales, O.P., Volk, G.M., Wang, Q. 2024. Application of biotechniques for in vitro virus and viroid elimination in pome fruit crops. Phytopathology. 114(5):930-954. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-07-23-0232-KC.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-07-23-0232-KC

Interpretive Summary: Pome fruit crops such as apple, pear and quince are propagated by grafting, which risks the transfer of pathogens between scions and rootstocks. To provide produce pathogen-free grafted trees for orchard plantings, nurseries must have access to pathogen-free stock plants. A number of methods have been used to eradicate viruses and viroids from pome fruit plant materials including shoot tip culture, micrografting, thermotherapy, chemotherapy, and cryotherapy. In some cases, a combination of treatments is particularly effective. This manuscript provides comprehensive information about which viruses and viroids have been eradicated from pome fruit crops across the range of available methods. It is intended as a one-source reference for state-of-art information about strategies that have been used to produce pathogen-free pome fruit plants.

Technical Abstract: Pome fruit crops, such as apple, pear, and quince, are propagated vegetatively and a constant supply of virus-free planting materials is pivotal for sustainable production. The production and distribution of virus- and viroid-free propagation material is not only necessary to control diseases, but also for sustainable breeding activities as well as the safe movement of plant materials across borders. With variable success rates, different in vitro-based techniques, including shoot tip culture, micrografting, thermotherapy, chemotherapy, and shoot tip cryotherapy, have been employed to eliminate viruses from pome fruits. Higher pathogen eradication efficiencies have been achieved by combining two or more of these techniques. An accurate diagnosis that confirms complete viral elimination is crucial for developing effective management strategies. In recent years, considerable efforts have resulted in new reliable and efficient virus detection methods. This comprehensive review outlines and documents the development and recent advances of biotechnological methods that are devoted to index and produce healthy pome fruit plants.