Plum pockets
Disease
Plum pockets
Taphrina communis (Sadebeck) Giesenh.
Distribution: Common to all fruit-growing regions in eastern North America.
Photos
The seed cavity tissues wither and die, forming a pocket within the fruit.
Alan Jones, MSU
B
Infections occur soon after blossoms open and are first evident on fruits when they reach 6–12 mm in diameter. Symptoms first appear as white to off-white spots or blisters that enlarge rapidly to cover the entire fruit. Infected fruit are distorted, spongy, and abnormally large (A). The tissues of the seed cavity wither and die, forming a pocket within the fruit (B). As the fruit dry, they turn velvety gray as a result of spore production on their surfaces, eventually turning brown, withering and falling from the tree. Diseased leaves are thickened and curled, similar to peach leaf curl. Symptoms on leaves may or may not coincide with fruit symptoms.
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