TPU Scientists Develop Effective Drug to Combat Plum Pox Virus in Apricots

The drug "Argovit," created by scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and their partners, has undergone testing in Spain for the treatment of apricots infected with the plum pox virus. Treatment of shoots with this drug reduced the number of viral particles by 75%, while existing analogues can only destroy 15-20% of infectious agents, according to the university's press service.

According to researchers, plants infected with the virus cannot produce healthy seeds or shoots. The use of expensive antiviral drugs for adult trees reduces the number of viral units by only 15-20% and can be toxic to the plants themselves. This necessitates the treatment of shoots in laboratory conditions, after which healthy plants can be planted in greenhouses or new gardens to minimize the risk of re-infection.

During the study, scientists cultivated five groups of apricot shoots infected with the plum pox virus in the laboratory. Four groups were treated with a drug based on silver nanoparticles in various concentrations for eight weeks, while the control group was not treated. The results showed that 75% of the shoots in the group treated with the drug at a concentration of 75 mg/l were free of the virus. Healthy shoots were rooted and planted in a greenhouse.

Further studies confirmed the absence of the plum pox virus in the treated plants.

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