The Fruit Research Institute is a public research institute with principal activities associated with scientific research work in the field of fruit culture. The most Serbian research on fruit viral diseases are conducted in the Institute which is also involved in breeding of new fruit cultivars, particularly plums tolerant to Plum pox virus. Last two years researchers from Department for Plant Protection were participated in international multilateral ECONET project, working on PPV strain identification, prevalence and genetic structure of PPV in Serbia.

Key persons involved

• Dr Svetlana PAUNOVIC
  Molecular biologist and virologist specialized on pome and stone fruit virus detection, characterization of PPV and assessment of susceptibility of newly bread cultivars to PPV.

• Darko JEVREMOVIC, BSc
  Specialised on virus strain characterisation and identification of new viruses. He is finishing his Master of Science thesis under the name: Molecular characterization and genetic structure of PPV isolates in Serbia.

• Dr Slobodan MILENKOVIC
  Specialized on plant entomology, last two years was leader of national project for introduction of certification into production of fruit planting material.

Publications

• Dallot S., Glasa M., Paunović S., Kamenova V., Kominek P., Pittnerova S., Virscek-Marn M., Milusheva S.; Jevremović D. (2006): Prevalence and genetic structure of PPV-M in six European countries. XX International Symposium on Virus and Virus-Like Diseases of Temperate Fruit Crops and XI International Symposium on Small Fruit Virus Diseases, Antalya, Turkey, 43.

• Glasa M., Paunović S., Jevremović D., Myrta A., Pittnerova S., Candresse T. (2005): Analysis of recombinant Plum pox virus (PPV) isolates from Serbia confirms genetic homogeneity and supports a regional origin for the PPV-Rec subgroup. Archives of Virology, vol. 15, 10:2051-2060.

• Milenković, S., Glavendekić, M. (2002): Integrated pest control in orchards and on ornamental trees and shrubs. 53. Deutsche Pflanzenschutztagung, Bonn, Germany, 314-315.

• Ranković M., Dulić-Marković I., Paunović S., (1999): Sharka virus in apricot and its diagnosis. Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Apricot Culture, Veria, Greece, Acta Horticulturae, 488, 783-786.

• Ranković M., Ogašanović D., Paunović S. (1994): Breeding of plum cultivars resistant to sharka (plum pox) disease. Acta Horticulturae 359: 69-74.

Material resources

The institute is full equipped with :

- facilities for serological and molecular detection and strain identification of Plum pox virus

- plum, peach and apricot experimental orchards for following the dynamic of spread and competitiveness of major PPV strains

- greenhouse for biological detection of PPV and other fruit viruses on woody and herbaceous indicator plants and maintain isolates on indicator plants.

- screen houses for challenge experiments to analyze competitiveness of selected PPV strains (D and Rec) after superinfection.

Website

http://institut-cacak.org/index.php