Characterization of apricot cultivars infected with Plum Pox Virus using virus concentration in leaves

Sharka disease induces a serious concern on the apricot production in Europe. All the traditional cultivars are susceptible to the disease and the virus spreading is enlarging by the time in the main cultivated areas. A great interest exists in the characterization of the cultivars according their susceptibility to the disease. According to virus concentration and localisation in apricot leaves, three main groups have been established (i) resistant cultivars such as 'SEO' or 'Stella' characterized by no symptoms and no virus multiplication, (ii) tolerant cultivar (e.g.'Harcot') characterized by a lack of symptoms but virus multiplication exists in the leaves, and (iii) susceptible cultivars characterized by presence of virus and symptoms ('Bergeron', 'Manicot', 'Tyrinthe', 'Screara', 'Colomer').