What is pocket plum?

Pocket plum is the name given to abnormally developed fruit of plums, damsons and some ornamental Prunus species. It is caused by an infection by the fungus Taphrina pruni, which prevents development of the stone and renders the fruit worthless. Distorted fruits appear from midsummer.

Symptoms

You may see the following symptoms:

• On fruit: Developing fruit elongate and are hollow, without stones. Later, a white bloom of fungus appears, then the fruit shrivels and falls. The fruits do not swell or ripen and are worthless to eat
• On stems: Twigs bearing deformed fruit may thicken and grow deformed

The fungus may also cause witches’ brooms (dense clusters of live and dead twigs).

Control

Non-chemical control

The disease can be controlled by thoroughly removing infected branches, witches’ brooms and fruit before spores are produced. Since spores are airborne, this will not completely eliminate the risk of new infections if there are other Prunus species nearby, but it will reduce the threat.

Chemical control

There are no fungicides available to amateur gardeners for the control of pocket plum.

Biology

The fungus causing pocket plum is related to the pathogen causing peach leaf curl and it is assumed there is a similar life cycle, but it has been little studied.

It is thought that airborne spores released from the fungal bloom on the fruit lodge in bark and bud scales, where they grow without causing infection until the following spring. The fungus then invades the plant tissues, causing the swollen and deformed shoots and remaining in these as mycelium (the microscopic thread-like body of the fungus). In subsequent years it then invades the flowers and developing fruit.