Development of a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for the detection of Amasya cherry disease

A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) procedure was developed to detect Amasya cherry disease (ACD) in naturally infected sweet cherry (Prunus avium) leaves sampled from Turkey. The procedure was based on detection of the presence of a mycoviral-like double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) of 5.3 kbp always found in association with ACD, which is probably caused by a fungus. Specific primers were designed to amplify a fragment of the diagnostic dsRNA. The method will improve routine diagnosis of ACD in Prunus spp.