December 6, 2010

LANSING- The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), in cooperation with Michigan Conservation Districts, has completed a detection survey for plum pox virus (PPV), a serious disease of peach, plum, and other stone fruit trees. During the course of the eight-week survey, nearly 14,000 leaf samples were collected from more than 100 stone fruit orchards with all samples testing negative for PPV. The survey was conducted throughout the state, but most sampling occurred in the major stone fruit production areas of the southwestern Lower Peninsula.

PPV is a quarantine significant pathogen and the world’s most destructive disease of stone fruit. It is restricted to trees in the genus Prunus, which includes peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, and cherry. The diseases do not affect humans and are not a food safety concern.

Michiganis the nation's largest producer of tart cherries, third largest producer of plums, fourth largest producer of sweet cherries, and sixth largest producer of peaches. Together, these commodities are valued at $65 million annually to the state’s economy.

“This survey is another example of MDA’s efforts to protect the state’s agricultural and natural resources while helping to preserve one of the growth economic sectors in Michigan,” said. Ken Rauscher, MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director “Early detection and rapid response programs are crucial for dealing successfully with any exotic pest or disease – whether it be PPV, Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, or some other invasive species on the horizon.”

This survey was conducted in continued response to the detection and eradication of PPV in southwestern Michigan in 2006. Since that time, more than 225,000 stone fruit trees have been sampled and all have tested negative for PPV.

“Continued surveys are important to prevent PPV from becoming established in Michigan,” said Rauscher. “Staying PPV-free will protect Michigan stone fruit yields and keep export markets open for Michigan-produced stone fruit nursery stock.”

This survey was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the 2010 appropriation of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (The Farm Bill).

For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/mda and search for Plum Pox Disease.

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