Biotech/GM crops in horticulture: plum cv. HoneySweet resistant to Plum pox virus

Jaroslav Polák, Jiban Kumar, Boris Krška and Michel Ravelonandro
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Jaroslav Polák: Department of Virology, Division of Plant Health, Crop Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
Jiban Kumar: Department of Virology, Division of Plant Health, Crop Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
Boris Krška: Mendel University inBrno, Faculty of Horticulture, Lednice, Czech Republic
Michel Ravelonandro: INRA-Bordeaux, Villenave d'Ornon, France

Plant Protection Science, 2012, vol. 48, issue SpecialIssue, S43-S48

Abstract: Commercialisation of Biotech/GM (Biotech) crops started in 1995. Not only field crops, but also horticultural transgenic crops are under development and are beginning to be commercialised. Genetic engineering has the potential to revolutionise fruit tree breeding. The development of transgenic fruit cultivars is in progress. Over the past 20 years an international public sector research team has collaborated in the development of HoneySweet plum which is highly resistant to Plum pox virus (PPV) the most devastating disease of plums and other stone fruits. HoneySweet was deregulated in the USA in 2010. HoneySweet (aka C5) has been evaluated for eleven years (2002-2012) in a regulated field trial in the CzechRepublic for the resistance to PPV, Prune dwarf virus (PDV), and Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), all of them being serious diseases of plum. Even under the high and permanent infection pressure produced through grafting, PPV has only been detected in HoneySweet trees in several leaves and fruits situated close to the point of inoculum grafting. The lack of infection spread in HoneySweet demonstrates its high level of PPV resistance. Co-infections of PPV with PDV and/or ACLSV had practically no influence on the quantity and quality of HoneySweet fruit which are large, sweet, and of a high eating quality. In many respects, they are superior to the fruits of the well-known cultivar Stanley. Many fruit growers and fruit tree nurseries in the CzechRepublic are supportive of the deregulation of HoneySweet plum to help improve the plum production and control the spread of PPV.

Keywords: genetic modifications; fruit trees; GM plum; Sharka disease; resistance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlpps:v:48:y:2012:i:specialissue:id:37-2012-pps

DOI: 10.17221/37/2012-PPS

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