Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria

Apple proliferation is a significant economic disease affecting cultivated apple trees across Europe. This study examines the presence, distribution, and symptomatic expression of apple proliferation disease among apple cultivars in commercial orchards in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria. A total...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aneliya Z. BORISOVA, Aneliya Raykova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Society of Land Measurements and Cadastre from Transylvania (SMTCT) 2025-06-01
Series:Notulae Scientia Biologicae
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.notulaebiologicae.ro/index.php/nsb/article/view/12467
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850092018195234816
author Aneliya Z. BORISOVA
Aneliya Raykova
author_facet Aneliya Z. BORISOVA
Aneliya Raykova
author_sort Aneliya Z. BORISOVA
collection DOAJ
description Apple proliferation is a significant economic disease affecting cultivated apple trees across Europe. This study examines the presence, distribution, and symptomatic expression of apple proliferation disease among apple cultivars in commercial orchards in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria. A total of 335 apple trees were sampled from the experimental and three commercial orchards of the Institute of Agriculture - Kyustendil and from fifteen private orchards. The collected samples were analyzed using DAS-ELISA to detect the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, the causal agent of the disease. Nine serologically identified infected trees were subsequently subjected to PCR analysis following DNA extraction from the phloem using a modified mini CTAB method. The study confirmed that symptoms such as witches’ brooms and enlarged stipules were consistently associated with the presence of ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’, as detected by serological and molecular methods. While useful for field identification, these symptoms are not conclusive diagnostic markers without laboratory confirmation. A relatively high incidence of phytoplasma infection (23.6%) was observed in apple orchards in the Kyustendil region, primarily based on serological analyses of symptomatic trees. Moreover, molecular confirmation ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’ was achieved through PCR analysis. Given that ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’ is transmitted by insect vectors, timely removal of infected trees is essential to mitigate disease spread and reduce economic losses.
format Article
id doaj-art-14ae736e85b646feaa688079e3f0f0ec
institution DOAJ
issn 2067-3264
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Society of Land Measurements and Cadastre from Transylvania (SMTCT)
record_format Article
series Notulae Scientia Biologicae
spelling doaj-art-14ae736e85b646feaa688079e3f0f0ec2025-08-20T02:42:12ZengSociety of Land Measurements and Cadastre from Transylvania (SMTCT)Notulae Scientia Biologicae2067-32642025-06-0117210.55779/nsb17212467Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of BulgariaAneliya Z. BORISOVA0Aneliya Raykova1Institute of Agriculture-Kyustendil, Department of Agrotechnology, Plant Protection and Economy on Crops, Kyustendil 2500, Agricultural AcademyInstitute of Agriculture-Kyustendil, Department of Agrotechnology, Plant Protection and Economy on Crops, Kyustendil 2500, Agricultural Academy Apple proliferation is a significant economic disease affecting cultivated apple trees across Europe. This study examines the presence, distribution, and symptomatic expression of apple proliferation disease among apple cultivars in commercial orchards in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria. A total of 335 apple trees were sampled from the experimental and three commercial orchards of the Institute of Agriculture - Kyustendil and from fifteen private orchards. The collected samples were analyzed using DAS-ELISA to detect the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, the causal agent of the disease. Nine serologically identified infected trees were subsequently subjected to PCR analysis following DNA extraction from the phloem using a modified mini CTAB method. The study confirmed that symptoms such as witches’ brooms and enlarged stipules were consistently associated with the presence of ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’, as detected by serological and molecular methods. While useful for field identification, these symptoms are not conclusive diagnostic markers without laboratory confirmation. A relatively high incidence of phytoplasma infection (23.6%) was observed in apple orchards in the Kyustendil region, primarily based on serological analyses of symptomatic trees. Moreover, molecular confirmation ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’ was achieved through PCR analysis. Given that ‘Ca. Phytoplasma mali’ is transmitted by insect vectors, timely removal of infected trees is essential to mitigate disease spread and reduce economic losses. https://www.notulaebiologicae.ro/index.php/nsb/article/view/12467'Candidatus Phytoplasma mali'detectionDAS-ELISAMalus domesticaPCRsymptoms
spellingShingle Aneliya Z. BORISOVA
Aneliya Raykova
Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria
Notulae Scientia Biologicae
'Candidatus Phytoplasma mali'
detection
DAS-ELISA
Malus domestica
PCR
symptoms
title Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria
title_full Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria
title_fullStr Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria
title_full_unstemmed Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria
title_short Presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the Kyustendil region of Bulgaria
title_sort presence and distribution of apple proliferation disease in the kyustendil region of bulgaria
topic 'Candidatus Phytoplasma mali'
detection
DAS-ELISA
Malus domestica
PCR
symptoms
url https://www.notulaebiologicae.ro/index.php/nsb/article/view/12467
work_keys_str_mv AT aneliyazborisova presenceanddistributionofappleproliferationdiseaseinthekyustendilregionofbulgaria
AT aneliyaraykova presenceanddistributionofappleproliferationdiseaseinthekyustendilregionofbulgaria