Detecting Five Peach Diseases with a Single Test

A diagnostic technology capable of detecting five different peach diseases with a single test has been developed.

The National Seed Management Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on August 5 that it has developed a technology that can simultaneously diagnose five types of peach viruses and viroids, including Peach luteovirus, in a single test. This was achieved through the “Development of Technology to Improve the Efficiency of Disease-Free Fruit Tree Seedlings and Establishment of a Mass Production System” research conducted over the past five years (2020?2024). The technology has been registered as a government-owned patent, which refers to a patent registered under the name of the state.

An official from the National Seed Management Office explained, “When peach trees are infected by viruses, they suffer from poor growth and malformed fruits, which severely degrades fruit quality and causes significant damage. To overcome this, it is essential to use healthy 'disease-free seedlings' that are not infected by viruses. At this stage, a technology that can quickly diagnose infection is crucial.”

The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based diagnostic technology developed by the National Seed Management Office can simultaneously detect five major peach pathogens with a single test. This innovation has dramatically improved testing efficiency by reducing the time, cost, and effort required to one-fifth. RT-PCR is a technology that converts viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) into DNA and then amplifies the gene (PCR) to determine whether infection has occurred.

According to the National Seed Management Office, this technology enables the rapid and accurate diagnosis and removal of virus-infected plants from the production of disease-free peach seedlings to the harvest sites in orchards, thereby effectively blocking the spread of viruses.

Yang Jupil, Director of the National Seed Management Office, stated, “The National Seed Management Office plans to transfer this newly acquired patented technology to relevant organizations and the private sector, taking the lead in proactive administration to ensure its widespread use in the agricultural field. In response to the rapid changes in cultivation environments caused by abnormal weather conditions, we will continue to develop scientific technologies and expand the supply of disease-free seedlings to support stable farming operations for agricultural households.”