Exploring Taphrina deformans, the Springtime Scourge of Peach

Peach leaf curl, caused by the fungal pathogen Taphrina deformans, is a recurrent disease in peach orchards during spring.

Taphrina deformans infects mostly peach (Prunus persica) and less significantly other Prunus crops.

Causing severe leaf deformation and massive defoliations, leaf curl can drastically reduce tree vigour and yield and, in severe cases, lead to tree death. To a lesser extent, T. deformans also infects flowers, twigs and fruits.

Current control strategies rely on preventive fungicide applications including mainly copper-based products.

At the end of winter, spores infect young leaves when they emerge from buds. Then, mycelium spreads into intercellular spaces and causes typical deformations. Sporulation of T. deformans at the end of spring spells the end of the mycelium phase. Throughout the rest of the year, spores are budding on the surface of bark and overwinter between the bud scales.

Infected leaves have a completely disorganized leaf structure and tissues exhibit hyperplastic and hypertrophic cells. T. deformans infection trigger profound metabolic changes whereby multiple plant defence pathways are activated.

Knowledge of this pathogen remains surprisingly limited, fragmented and dispersed across decades of literature. The aim of this review is to compile and synthesize existing knowledge to provide for the first time a complete T. deformans life cycle representation while identifying major research gaps. By consolidating existing knowledge and outlining future research priorities, this review aims to stimulate coordinated efforts towards an integrated and sustainable management of peach leaf curl.