The suitability of different apple tissues for Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) detection throughout the year was checked by RT-PCR and ELISA. Detectable amounts of ASGV were generally found in all tissues (bark, dormant buds, petals and leaves) tested by RT-PCR from January to mid-June. Leaves during flowering (in May) were the most suitable tissues for the virus detection by both methods (RT-PCR and ELISA). The leaves collected in summer (June, July and August) or other tissues such as bark, dormant buds and petals were not reliable for ASGV detection by ELISA.