Abstract
Three ornamental Prunus (P. cerasifera ‘pissardii’, P. spinosa, P. triloba) were checked for their susceptibility to Plum pox virus when inoculated either by grafting or by aphid inoculation. If the species appeared as susceptible, the virus distribution throughout the plants was checked and used as an indicator to assess the possible role of these plants as PPV reservoirs for aphids. Two isolates of PPV-M, 2 isolates of PPV-D and a variant of PPV-D epidemic on peach trees were used to cover the range of PPV diversity found in France. The plants were checked by ELISA during the 3 vegetative periods following their inoculation. No systemic infection could be detected in P. pissardii or P. triloba during the 2 first years. Three P. pissardii plants inoculated by grafting were found infected the third year. On the contrary P. spinosa was found susceptible to every type of PPV isolates. The assessment of P. spinosa infected plants as PPV reservoirs was made by immunoprinting of the leaves the second year after inoculation. Only a few number of leaves were detected infected. Their distribution do not follow a regular pattern