Occurrence, symptom variation and yield loss caused by full blossom disease in red and white currants in the Czech Republic

Full blossom disease (FBD) was found at 11 of 19 monitored locations in the Czech Republic. Six cultivars of white currant and 26 cultivars of red currant with characteristic symptoms of the disease were found in germplasm collections, propagation material and commercial plantations. The incidence of the disease varied from 1% to 70% of infected bushes in different cultivars and locations. Similarly, the intensity of symptoms in the field observed between 1999 and 2004 varied from a few malformed flowers up to a massive occurrence of such flowers on whole branches. Yield losses of up to 70% were recorded in severely infected bushes of red currant Vitan and fruit quality was poor. Infected seedlings seem to have been the major source of spread of the disease in the last two decades. The presence of both phytoplasma and BRV was confirmed in FBD infected bushes.