Abstract
Plum Pox Virus (PPV) is the most important viral diseases affecting fruit stone especially peach tree grown production in KSA. This study was explain to establish large amounts of virus free peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) plants (cv. Balady) grown in Taif from meristem tips culture utilizing clonal proliferation. In the present study, in vitro eradication of Plum pox virus in Peach tree was confirmed by meristem tip culture with heat thermotherapy (meristem tips exposed to 37 degrees C for 28 days). A total of 60% of those plants were virus free when indexed by DAS-ELISA and RT-PCR. Peach plants had been proliferated in vitro using meristem tips culture techniques. Sufficient protocol for in vitro propagation of Peach plants (cv. Balady) using shoot tips, high percentage of shoots differentiation were (100%), multiple shoot percentage was (27.5) and average shoot length was 4 cm obtained by meristem culture on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP and 0.5mg/l GA(3). Therefore, high percentage of rooting (96%) were obtained after transferring the plantlets to half strength MS basal medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l IBA, 1.0 mg/l, 200 mg/l activated charcoal and 150 mg/l anti-oxidant. Rooted plantlets were planted in pots containing a sterile soil and kept in the green house; the acclimatization was performed successfully with 100% survival