In this paper,the principle and characteristics of detection techniques for apple tree virus were briefly summarized,including indicator plant method,transmission electron microscopy,serological detection,nucleic acid hybridization technique,reverse transcriptase polymerase amplification technique,reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification technique,reverse transcription-loop mediated thermostatic amplification technique,gene microarray and high-throughput sequencing technique.The progress of different technologies for apple tree viruses detection were reviewed.In addition,future research directions are prospected.