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Fruit & Orchards

what diseases to watch out for with scion wood swaps?

10 years ago

Thomis in the thread on eliminating poor apple varieties said that he doesn't want to swap scion wood any more because he received badly diseased wood. I thought I'd start a new thread to explore that tangent. I assume some diseases might simply kill the scion, but what diseases (and with which species) are potential long-term problems and how contagious are they? What diseases are you all particularly careful about?

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Comments (9)

steve_in_los_osos
10 years ago
My own sad experience has only been with peach leaf curl. Nearly wiped out my bench grafts the first year, certainly weakened them. Scions should be doused with LS before use, seems to me.
thomis
10 years ago
axel_sc started a thread a while back with some better info than i can give.

(attached)

Here is a link that might be useful: evils of exchanging scion wood
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for cuttings trades, I recommend fruitiers.net (my user name is episag) Not too many of us in Canada, but you might be able to find some cuttings for free. I, myself, have a few cuttings of some disease resistant varieties I could provide (but not much, my trees are still small). My dad has a big Norland, so that one I could provide in bigger amount, except it is an early august apple that only last a month when you pick it up early and keep it in the fridge. Else, you can try that farm in BC, under Scionwood: http://www.appleluscious.com/orchard/ordering.html Orders until the end of March, so hurry, not much time left! :) Good luck! :)
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murkwell
10 years ago
Steve,

Funny, here near Portland, OR I assume Peach Leaf curl is ever present in the environment.
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
10 years ago
Peach leaf curl isn't transmitted via scionwood. But it certainly could affect a new graft so would need spraying like any peach/nectarine.

Viruses are the main concern. Plum pox virus is one example. It is widely present in Europe. So importing scion wood from another region could bring a virus with it.

I've got viruses in my stone fruit. In fact a tree planted this year seems infected. So far it hasn't affected the fruit that I can tell but I am concerned and taking out some trees.

I've never exchanged scionwood with anyone. So I'm not sure where it came from. Could be I was sold infected trees.
cousinfloyd
Original Author
10 years ago
fruitnut, I'm really surprised to hear that you haven't ever exchanged scionwood. As much of a fruit nut as you are, you must have had to try hard to avoid it, no? I'm curious to hear why you haven't. Is it all about virus concern? If you buy a new variety already grafted are you that much safer than grafting it yourself? Or are commercial sources really a lot safer?
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
10 years ago
floyd:

Commercial sources should be safer. They should test their mother trees every year. But it may amount to nothing more than the eyeball test, does the tree look OK.

Some pictures of my trees that possibly have virus infection are linked below. I posted the pictures on DWN forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: stone fruit virus pictures
alan haigh
10 years ago
The question isn't about the general danger of viruses but about the added danger of acquiring wood from sources where viruses are not screened. I believe that licensed commercial nurseries, unlike mine, begin with wood that is carefully screened for viruses.

Viruses that affect productivity of apples are quite common but in all my years of grafting wood from unscreened sources I've never noticed the affects myself. Based on my experience in the northeast- the problems may be different elsewhere- I've decided not to worry about tainted scion wood.
leenamark
10 years ago
Two years back, we have grown appe in our orchid. We have ordered budwood for several apple varieties from Botner. The budded trees are now growing in my orchard! So far they are healthy.
leenamark
10 years ago
Two years back, we have grown appe in our orchid. We have ordered budwood for several apple varieties from Botner. The budded trees are now growing in my orchard! So far they are healthy.

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