Occurrence of Cherry Virus A (CVA) Infecting Stone Fruits in Kashmir Province of Northwestern Himalayan Region of India

Stone fruits such as apricot, cherry, peach, plum and nectarine are cultivated commercially worldwide as well as in India, in temperate to subtropical regions including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. A survey on cherry virus A (CVA) was carried out in Kashmir valley during 2020–2022, in various stone fruit growing areas. Leaf samples of these stone fruits (apricot, cherry, peach, plum and nectarine) with symptoms as well as without symptoms suspected to be infected with CVA were collected for confirmation of the virus using serological (DAS-ELISA) and molecular (RT-PCR) methods. The incidence of CVA infecting stone fruits in Kashmir based on DAS-ELISA was recorded to be 20.0