Exogenous application of salicylic acid improves eradication of apple stem grooving virus and apple chlorotic leaf spot virus in apple

Abstract

The presence of viral diseases poses a significant challenge to the high-quality, efficient, and sustainable production of apples. Virus eradication and the use of virus-free plants are currently the most crucial method for preventing viral diseases. Among the viruses affecting apples, apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) and apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV) present particular challenges in efficient eradication from apples. This study investigated the effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) treatment on the efficient eradication of ASGV and ACLSV from apple cultivar ‘Yanfu 8’. Shoots were excised from in vitro 4-week-old stock and cultured in shoot proliferation medium supplemented with 10 μM SA combining thermotherapy with shoot tip culture or cryotherapy for ASGV and ACLSV eradication. The results showed that including of 10 μM SA in thermotherapy significantly reduced the concentrations of ASGV and ACLSV by 33% and 14% in shoots compared to thermotherapy without SA. SA treatment also improved the shoot tips survival and regrowth after combining 2 or 4 weeks of thermotherapy followed by shoot tip culture or shoot tip cryotherapy, while maintaining the higher (75–100%) of virus eradication efficiencies. Therefore, the application of SA in combination with thermotherapy followed or not by cryotherapy proves to be a promising approach for enhancing the efficiency of virus eradication in apple.