{"id":2676,"date":"2019-10-02T00:03:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T07:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-465\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T15:33:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T22:33:35","slug":"on-peach-leaf-curl-and-plum-pockets","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/on-peach-leaf-curl-and-plum-pockets\/","title":{"rendered":"Peach leaf curl and plum pockets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>For three years, my plum tree has had leaves that curl and shrivel somewhat. I have heard of aphids causing leaf<br \/>\ncurl in plums, but I don&#8217;t see many aphids.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I also have a peach tree that has &#8220;Peach Leaf Curl&#8221; or Taphrina<br \/>\ndeformans and the symptoms on the plum leaves look similar to that.<br \/>\nHere is what I wonder:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The peach and plum are at least 100 yards apart. Is it really possible that the peach infected the plum?<\/li>\n<li>With the peach tree the fruits are also affected but with the plum<br \/>\nfruits do not appear to be affected.<\/li>\n<li>Are peach and plum affected by the same diseases?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Both peach and plum trees are in the genus Prunus. Your plum tree&#8217;s problem sounds like plum pockets and peach leaf curl, which are caused<br \/>\nby fungus (usually Taphrina).<\/p>\n<p>From Iowa State University Plant Pathology:<\/p>\n<p>Have you noticed lately that your peach leaves appear curled or puckered?<br \/>\nDo leaves appear to be lighter than normal, flushed with red, blistered,<br \/>\ndistorted, and curled? Chances are your tree has peach leaf curl, a<br \/>\nfungal disease caused by Taphrina deformans. Although peach leaf curl is<br \/>\nprimarily a disease of peach, nectarines are also affected. Peach leaf<br \/>\ncurl is first noticed in spring when young leaves start to emerge. The<br \/>\nentire leaf or a portion of it may appear crinkled and curled with<br \/>\nflushes of red or purple . Later on in the season, the fungus begins to<br \/>\nproduce spores and leaves appear silvery or powdery gray. Infected leaves<br \/>\nturn yellow and brown and fall off the tree and are replaced by a new set<br \/>\nof foliage. Flowers, young fruits and stems may also be infected.<br \/>\nAffected fruits are distorted with wrinkled, discolored areas on the<br \/>\nsurface. Extensive defoliation may affect fruit yield the following year<br \/>\nand may also predispose the tree to winter injury and other diseases.<\/p>\n<p>Plum pocket is a disease in plums caused by Taphrina communis. Leaf<br \/>\nsymptoms are similar with peach leaf curl and the plums appear to be<br \/>\ndistorted, wrinkled, and puffy. This disease is not considered a serious<br \/>\nproblem in most commercially cultivated plum varieties.<\/p>\n<p>Here is <a href=\"http:\/\/pnwhandbooks.org\/plantdisease\/\">Oregon State University&#8217;s<\/a> online guide to plant diseases (aimed at professional gardeners) This is <a href=\"http:\/\/hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu\/Home\/HortsenseHome.aspx\">Washington State University&#8217;s<\/a> site intended for home gardeners.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t know if your plum could have gotten the same species of Taphrina fungus<br \/>\nthat is affecting your peach (i.e., Taphrina deformans), but the conditions in our climate are probably ideal for this type of fungal disease.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ipm.ucdavis.edu\/PMG\/r602100311.html\">University of California, Davis<\/a> says that the pathogen which causes peach<br \/>\nleaf curl survives on tree surfaces and buds, and is enhanced by wet<br \/>\nspring weather.<\/p>\n<p>From <a href=\"http:\/\/byf.unl.edu\/peach-leaf-curl\">University of Nebraska Plant Pathology:<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Plum Pockets is very similar to the well-known disease peach leaf curl.<br \/>\nIt reached epidemic proportions on plum in the 1880&#8217;s and sand cherry in<br \/>\nthe 1940&#8217;s. The disease is still common today but rarely has an economic<br \/>\nimpact on stone fruit production. However, its unique symptoms always<br \/>\nseem to peak the interest of individuals who are seeing it for the first<br \/>\ntime. The disease is caused by two species of Taphrina. Taphrina communis<br \/>\n(Sadelbeck) Giesenh. has a worldwide distribution. Its hosts include plum<br \/>\n(Prunus angustifolia) and several wild Prunus spp. found in America.<br \/>\nTaphrina pruni primarily infects European plums and is rarely found in<br \/>\nAmerica. The disease cycle of Taphrina communis is similar to that of<br \/>\nTaphrina deformans (peach leaf curl). The fungus overwinters as conidia<br \/>\non twigs and bud scales. Infection generally begins at bud break when<br \/>\nthese spores are rain splashed to susceptible green tissue. Leaves,<br \/>\nshoots, and fruit are all susceptible but symptom development is most<br \/>\ncommon on fruit. The fungus invades host tissue directly through<br \/>\nepidermal cells. Once the fungus is established, a specialized mat of<br \/>\nfungal cells (hymeneal layer) containing asci and ascospores forms. The<br \/>\nasci are not protected by a specialized ascocarp. Ascospores are<br \/>\nreleased, germinate and begin budding, much as a yeast does. Conidia (bud<br \/>\nconidia) serve as secondary inoculum in the spread of the disease.<br \/>\nInitiation of the disease cycle is favored by cool wet weather.<\/p>\n<p>You might consider bringing in samples of the affected leaves to a Master<br \/>\nGardener Clinic for a definitive diagnosis. They may also have more information on whether the disease can pass from peach to plum, or whether your two types of trees simply have two different strains of the pathogen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For three years, my plum tree has had leaves that curl and shrivel somewhat. I have heard of aphids causing leaf curl in plums, but I don&#8217;t see many aphids. I also have a peach tree that has &#8220;Peach Leaf Curl&#8221; or Taphrina deformans and the symptoms on the plum leaves look similar to that. Here is what I wonder: The peach and plum are at least 100 yards apart. Is it really possible that the peach infected the plum?&#8230;<\/p>\n<div><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/on-peach-leaf-curl-and-plum-pockets\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Peach leaf curl and plum pockets<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[517,250],"class_list":["post-2676","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-fruit-diseases-and-pests","keyword-prunus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2676"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}