Comparative Anatomical Responses of Tolerant and Susceptible European Plum Varieties to Black Knot Disease

Plums are affected by a cancerous disease called “Black Knot disease” caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa. It affects both Japanese (Prunus salicina) and European plums (Prunus domestica) equally. In order to understand the spread of the disease, histological analysis was performed in two different European plum cultivars (susceptible and tolerant). Light and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analyses confirmed the presence of the growing hyphae in the internal tissues of the susceptible trees. By using stereoscopic analysis with a fluorescence filter, we were able to detect the hyphae in the visible lesion area. At about 2 inches from above and below the knots, no spore or hypha was visible with the light microscope. However, SEM images showed strong evidence that the fungus is capable of migrating to adjacent vessels in the susceptible plum genotype. In fact, at that distance below and above the knots, conidia were detected inside xylem vessels suggesting a systemic movement of the fungus that has not been shown so far. No symptoms were observed in the resistant genotype. Starch granules, vessel occlusions and lipid droplets were the main distinguishable characteristics between susceptible and tolerant varieties.