• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.6
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• pp.737-741
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• 2007

Typical phytoplasma witches' broom symptoms were observed in black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in Korea. The symptoms of the disease were showing abnormally small leaves, shortened intemodes and proliferation of shoots. The phytoplasmas were detected consistently in all the symptomatic samples by the amplification with phytoplasma universal primer pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R2, and the expected size was 1.8 kb and 1.2 kb. However, the phytoplasma DNA was not detected in healthy seedling. Based on sequence analysis of amplified region, this phytoplasma has close homologies with aster yellow, mulberry dwarf, maize bushy stunt, ash witches' broom and sumac witches' broom phytoplasmas, more than 99.2% but showed homologies with black locust witches' broom (GeneBank Accession No. AF 244363), and jujube witches' broom, 88.6% and 87.7%, respectively. This phylogetic analysis indicates that the black locust witches' broom phytoplasma founded in korea should be classified in the Candidatus phytoplasma asteris (16Sr I) group and clearly distinct from the black locust witches' broom group 16Sr III (peach X-disease phytoplasma group).

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2012

Phytoplasmas have been associated with more than 46 plant species in Korea. Several vegetables, ornamentals, fruit trees and other crop species are affected by phytoplasma diseases. Six 16Sr groups of phytoplasmas have been identified and these phytoplasmas are associated with 63 phytoplasma diseases. Aster yellows phytoplasmas are the most prevalent group and has been associated with more than 25 diseases in Korea. Jujube witches' broom, paulownia witches' broom and mulberry dwarf diseases cause economic losses to host trees throughout the country. So far, Korean phytoplasmas belong to six species of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma'; 'Ca. P. asteris', 'Ca. P. pruni$^*$', 'Ca. P. ziziphi', 'Ca. P. trifolii', 'Ca. P. solani$^*$' and 'Ca. P. castaneae'. The diseases are distributed throughout the country and most of them were observed in Gyeongbuk and Chonbuk provinces. At least four insect vectors; Cyrtopeltis tenuis, Hishimonus sellatus, Macrosteles striifrons and Ophiola flavopicta have been identified for phytoplasma transmission.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.149-157
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• 2023

Phytoplasmas were discovered in diseased Elaeocarpus sylvestris trees growing on Jeju Island that showed symptoms of yellowing and darkening in the leaves. Leaf samples from 14 symptomatic plants in Jeju-si and Seogwipo-si were collected and phytoplasma 16S rRNA was successfully amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction using universal primers. The sequence analysis detected two phytoplasmas, which showed 99.5% identity to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' and 'Ca. P. malaysianum' affiliated to 16SrI and 16SrXXXII groups, respectively. Through polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses using the AfaI (RsaI) restriction enzyme, the presence of two phytoplasmas strains as well as cases of mixed infection of these strains was detected. In a virtual RFLP analysis with 17 restriction enzymes, the 16S rRNA sequence of the 'Ca. P. asteris' strain was found to match the pattern of the 16SrI-B subgroup. In addition, the phytoplasmas in the mixed-infection cases could be distinguished using specific primer sets. In conclusion, this study confirmed mixed infection of two phytoplasmas in one E. sylvestris plant, and also the presence of two phytoplasmas (of the 16SrI and 16SrXXXII groups) in Jeju Island (Republic of Korea).