On Thursday, USDA declared the U.S. free of plum pox virus.  USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs Greg Ibach made the declaration at a ceremony, saying the 20-year fight against the disease “is officially over.”

 

Ibach said USDA has eliminated the disease, protecting the $6.3 billion U.S. stone fruit industry.  USDA called plum pox is a serious disease impacting stone fruit such as plums, almonds, and peaches.  No other countries where plum pox disease is known to occur have successfully eradicated the disease.

 

Plum pox does not kill infected trees outright. However, it causes severe yield losses and greatly reduces the marketability. The virus spreads over short distances by aphids and over long distances via the movement of infected nursery stock or by grafting infected buds onto healthy trees. The disease was first detected in Pennsylvania in 1999. A USDA program helped test, remove and avoid infected trees.

 

 

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