Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Meeting Program: Chair, Local Organizer and Secretary: Annemiek Schilder, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Sunday June 14: arrival, 8-10 pm: Welcome reception. Monday June 15 (8:30 am-5:30 pm): State reports by participants. See the attached full reports under the link for the Meeting Minutes. A special presentation on the National Clean Plant Network was made by Joseph Postman.

Attendees visited the MSU Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center to view virus symptoms in grape vineyards, and cherry and apple orchards. A presentation was made detailing the response to discovery of Plum pox virus in the MSU breeding program and the operations to rescue advanced peach selections. Nurseries were toured to observed tissue culture practices to produce blueberry plants; symptoms of several viruses were also observed in neighboring blueberry plantings. Tuesday June 16: (9 am-5 pm): MSU Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC, Benton Harbor, Michigan)

• Welcome by Dr. Tom Zabadal, Station Director and presentation on virus symptoms in grapes
• Presentation by Michael Hansen (MDA) and Dr. Bill Shane (MSU Extension) on Plumpox virus find at SWMREC and eradication program and rescue of peach breeding materials
• Tour of cherry planting (prunus necrotic ringspot, prune dwarf virus); apple orchard (apple mosaic), and vineyard (tobacco ringspot virus) at SWMREC
• DeGrandchamps nursery: visit nursery an learn about steps in propagation from tissue culture and virus testing program, blueberry fields with blueberry mosaic and tobacco ringspot symptoms
• Visit to Trevor Nichols Research Complex in Fennville, MI, to view blueberry shock virus in blueberry planting.
• Wine tour and dinner at Fenn Valley Vineyard in Fennville, Michigan; view vineyard with decline due to Roesleria subterranea root rot.
• Business meeting;
  1. The future role of NRSP-5 in providing foundation material to the National Clean Plant Network was discussed. NRSP-5 will no longer exist after Sept 30, 2009 but Washington State (WSU)- Ken Eastwell will operate under another name and continue as previously. Two extensive lists of graft-transmissible conditions that affect stone and pome fruits have been assembled by the Fruit tree clean plant netowrk. They present a considerable dilemma when considering which graft transmissible agents should be tested for by WSU and other programs prior to releasing foundation material to the NCPN and distribution from state certification programs. The two lists have already been "culled" somewhat as many of the names on them derive from single reports of a graft transmissible disease in the 1930 and 1940s. However, the lists are still unmanageable (unlike the corresponding lists for grapevines). In many instances authenticated cultures of the disease and agent no longer exist. The suggestion was made that if an authenticated culture does not exist, the name should be removed from the list. To this end, it was proposed to circulate the two lists to members of WERA-20 requesting that they identify any cultures of the diseases and agent that they possess. The responses will be collated and reduced (hopefully) lists will be circulated for further comment and final approval. Simon Scott will circulate the lists using the mailing list used by Annemiek Schielder to establish the meeting in Michigan. This proposal was accepted by the meeting and given unanimous support. 2. Competitive funding in current climate; 3. A potential fruit virologist position at MSU was discussed 4. Decided on location of next meeting in Idaho in September 2010. Alexander Karasev will be our host. Meeting Adjourned Wednesday June 17: 8:30 am-5 pm:
  • Field trip to Agdia, Inc.,in Elkhart, Indiana; toured diagnostic and research facilities
  • Hill Top Nursery, Hartford, Michigan: visited propagation blocks, mother blocks, storage facility, on-site virus-testing laboratory, greenhouse with graft-indexed plants for virus testing.

A consortium between Arkansas, the Carolinas, Mississippi and Oregon was formed through WERA-020 to study yellow vein disease (YVD) that has been one of the major problems for blackberry production in the Southeast United States for the last 7-9 years. More than 10 viruses in plants showing typical disease symptoms were identified. Symptoms are similar across states but virus species differ, with Blackberry yellow vein associated virus and Blackberry virus Y being the most common viruses in Arkansas whereas in the Carolinas Blackberry yellow vein associated virus, Blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus and Tobacco ringspot virus are more common. This is the 10th year of the PPV eradication effort in Pennsylvania since the detection of PPV in an orchard in Adams County in the fall of 1999. These surveys are a cooperative effort between APHIS PPQ, PDA, and Penn State University with each supplying infrastructure, equipment, and personnel. The regulated areas during that time have decreased from a high of 349 square miles in 2003 to 48 square miles in 2009. The 2007 survey produced negative results for the first time since the detection of PPV in 1999. The negative survey status continued in 2008 increasing the anticipation of being able to declare eradication in Pennsylvania at the end of the 2009 survey. In the interim, two small areas in Adams County and one small area in Cumberland County remain under regulation for PPV.

A limited survey of Idaho vineyards was conducted by WERA-020 participants from WA, ID, and OR (Rayapati, Karasev & Martin). The results indicated widespread occurrence of GLRaV-3 in several wine grape cultivars.

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