• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.274-279
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• 2019

Artemisia sieberi showing symptoms resembling those caused by phytoplasma were observed in Geno Mountain, Hormozgan Province, Iran, and were examined for phytoplasma presence by PCR assays. In addition, the essential oils hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of phytoplasma-infected and healthy plants have been analyzed and compared by GC and GC/MS. Phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the phytoplasma associated with A. sieberi witches' broom (AsWB) was a strain of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia'. The presence of the disease, however, induced a further enrichment (from 4.9 to 45.2%, a relative increase of 90%) of the entire monoterpene class as compared to the abundance in healthy samples. Conversely, a matching decrease in monoterpenoid (from 48.7 to 2%, a relative decrease of 90.2%) was observed in the infected plants. Besides the first report of phytoplasma infection of A. sieberi, the changes of its essential oils are reported.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.146-158
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• 2022

Changes in physiological and biochemical patterns in lucerne plants caused by the presence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia', which is one of the significant pathogens causing yield losses in lucerne plants, were investigated. Significant differences were evident in total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and protein amounts between 'Ca. Phytoplasma australasia'-positive and negative lucerne plants. Stress-related metabolites such as phenol, malondialdehyde, and proline accumulations in 'Ca. Phytoplasma australasia'-positive plants were remarkably higher than those of phytoplasma-negative plants. As a response to disease attack, phytoplasma-positive plants exhibited higher antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) and nonenzymatic metabolite responses such as jasmonic and salicylic acids. We state that partial disease responses were revealed for the first time to breed resistant lucerne lines infected by 'Ca. Phytoplasma australasia'.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.364-377
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• 2020

Sugarcane is an important sugar crop contributes more than 80% of world sugar production. Mosaic, leaf fleck, and yellow leaf (YL) are the major viral diseases affecting sugarcane, amongst YL occurrence is widely reported in all the sugarcane growing countries. It is caused by Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) and detailed works were done on complete genome characterization, transmission, and management. However, in countries like Egypt, South Africa, Cuba, Mauritius and Hawaii, the disease was reported to the cause of sugarcane yellow leaf phytoplasma (SCYP) and/or SCYLV as single/combined infections. Hence, we have investigated in detail to identify the exact Candidatus phytoplasma taxon associated in Indian cultivars affected with YL. The sequencing results and the restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern of the PCR products using the universal phytoplasma primers confirmed presence of sugarcane grassy shoot (SCGS) phytoplasma (16SrXI group) in the YL-affected plants. Mixed infection of SCYLV and SCGS phytoplasma was estimated as 32.8% in YL affected plants. Evolutionary genetic relationship between SCYP and SCGS phytoplasma representatively taken from different countries showed that SCYP from South Africa and Cuba were diverged from others and had a highest similarity with SCGS phytoplasma. Although we wanted to identify SCYP from YL affected Indian sugarcane cultivars, the study clearly indicated a clear absence of SCYP in YL affected plants and we found SCYLV as the primary cause for the disease.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2012

Periwinkle seedlings (Cantharanthus roseus) were inoculated with jujube witches'- broom (JWB) phytoplasma via grafting to analyze the migration of JWB phytoplasmas within the host plant. The phytoplasmas were detected using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and fluorescence microscopy. Fluorescence microscopy was a simple and easy method of detecting phytoplasmas; however, it was not sufficiently sensitive to detect very low phytoplasma concentrations. Therefore, the migration of JWB phytoplasma was investigated through PCR. The first migration of JWB phytoplasma from an infected tissue to healthy tissues occurred late. After grafting, the phytoplasmas moved from the inoculated twig (or scion) to the main stem, which took 28 days. Afterward, the phytoplasma migrated faster and took less than 4 days to spread into the roots from the main stem. All twigs were then successively colonized by the JWB phytoplasmas from the bottom to the top. JWB phytoplasma was detected via nested PCR in all parts of the periwinkle seedling 82 days after inoculation. Based on these results, the inoculated JWB phytoplasma appeared to migrate downward to the roots along the main stem during the early stages, and then continued to move upward, colonizing twigs along the way until they reached the apex.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.2 s.159
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• pp.103-107
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• 2005

Typical phytoplasma whiches' broom symptoms were observed in Ash (Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hence) in Korea. The symptoms of the disease were showing abnormally small leaves, shorted internodes and proliferation of shoots. Examination of fluorescent and electron microscopy of leaf midribs revealed numerous phytoplasma bodies localized in the phloem tube cells. The phytoplasmas were detected in all the symptomatic samples by the amplification with phytoplasma specific primer pair P1/P7 consistently, and the expected size was 1.8 kb. However, the phytoplasma DNA was not detected in healthy seedlings. Based on sequence analysis of amplified region, this phytoplasma has close homologies with eqilodium phyllody, mulberry dwarf, and aster yellow phytoplasmas, 99.95%, 99.79% and 99.78%, respectively, This phylogetic analysis indicates that ash witches' broom phytoplasma should be classified in the aster yellow group 16SrVI and clearly distinct from the ash yellow group 16SrVII.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.151-154
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• 2007

Phytoplasma was identified from leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivated in commercial green-house in Korea. Diseased leaf lettuce revealed proliferation of shoots, and yellowing and shrinking of leaves (lettuce proliferation-K). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with universal primer pair P1/P6, and aster yellows (AY) specific primer pair R16F1/R1 amplified 1.5kb and 1.1kb length of DNA fragments, respectively. Nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA gene were determined (Gen Bank accession no EF489024). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA showed the closest relationship with AY phytoplasma (GenBank accession no. AY389822 and AY389826), indicating that lettuce proliferation-K is a member of AY. Phytoplasma bodies were detected in phloem sieve tubes of diseased lettuce by transmission electron microscopy. The structures had round or pleomorphic shapes with a diameter of 130-300nm. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene, microscopic observation of phytoplasma bodies and symptomatology indicated that lettuce proliferation-K is caused by phytoplasma in the AY group. This is the first report of phytoplasma disease in lettuce in Korea.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.465-470
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• 2013

In January 2012, spreading type petunia cv. Wave Pink plants showing an abnormal growth habit of sprouting unusual multiple plantlets from the lateral buds were collected from a greenhouse in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. The presence of phytoplasma was investigated using PCR with the primer pairs P1/P6, and R16F1/R1 for nested-PCR. In the nested PCR, 1,096 bp PCR products were obtained, and through sequencing 12 Pet-Stol isolates were identified. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA gene of the 12 Pet-Stol isolates with other phytoplasmas belonging to aster yellows or Stolbur showed that Pet-Stol isolates were members of Stolbur. The presence of phytoplasma in petunia was also confirmed by microscopic observation of the pathogens. In this study, Stolbur phytoplasma was identified from spreading type petunia cultivars by sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene of phytoplasma and microscopic observation of phytoplasma bodies. This is the first report of Stolbur phytoplasma in commercial Petunia hybrida cultivars.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2002

Aster yellows phytoplasma-infected chrysanthemums showing stunt, rosette, and excessive branching were treated with a foliar spray of 400 mg/I oxytetracycline at three-day interval for 1,2,3 and 4 months. Two months after the final treatment, new shoots from the recovered chrysanthemums showed the recurrence of the disease symptoms. However, cuttings from chrysanthemums treated with oxytetracycline did not express any photoplasma infection symptoms for more than 10 months. Also, chrysanthemums dipped in 100 mg/I oxytetracycline solution combined with a foliar spray of 400 mg/I oxytetracycline for 4 weeks showed the same results. Using an electron microscope, ultrathin sections of leaf midribs of chrysanthemum cuttings treated with oxytetracycline for 4 months did not show phytoplasma bodies 10 months after treatment. Nucleic acids from chrysanthemums, which did not express phytoplasma infection symptoms for more than 10 months, did not amplify 16S rRNA gene of phytoplasma by polymerase chain reaction. These results may have implications in the propagation of phytoplasma-free healthy stocks for a wide range of plant species.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.98-101
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• 2002

Using phytoplasma universal primer pair Pl and P7, a fragment of about 1.8 kb nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region, and a portion of 23S rRNA gene of jujube witches'broom (JWB) and mulberry dwarf(MD) phytoplasmas were determined. The nucleotide sequences of JWB and MD were 1,850 bp and 1,831 bp long, respectively. The JWB phytoplasma sequence was aligned with the homologous sequence of MD phytoplasma. Twenty-eight base insertions and nine base deletions were found in the JWB phytoplasma sequence compared with that of MD phytoplasma. The similarity of the aligned sequences of JWB and MD was 84.8%. The near-complete 16S rRNA gene DNA sequences of JWB and MD were 1,529 bp and 1,530 bp in length, respectively, and revealed 89.0% homology. The 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region DNA sequences were 263 bp and 243 bp in lengths respectively, while homology was only 70% and the conserved tRNA-lle gene of JWB and MD was located into the intergenic space region between 16S-23S rRNA gene. The nucleotide sequences were 77 bp long in both JWB and MD, and showed 97.4% sequence homology. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the two phytoplasmas, the JWB phytoplasma belongs to the Elm yellow phytoplasma group (16S rV), whereas, the MD phytoplasma belongs to the Aster yellow group (16S rI).

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.329-335
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• 2001

Yellowing disease of palms caused by phytoplasma is spreading in the Arabian Gulf region. Surveys were conducted to determine the occurrence of the disease. Electron and fluorescence microscopy, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques were used to detect the phytoplasma associated with the yellowing disease of ornamental palm Washingtonia sp. grown in Kuwait. An accumulation of phytoplasmal DNA was observed by fluorescence microscopy in phloem tissues of diseased palms. Electron microscopy showed that phytoplasma cells were primarily confined to the phloemsieve elements of tissue samples collected from infected mature palms in the field. The pathogen was identified on the basis of molecular analysis using universal and specific nested primers in PCR amplifications. Prokaryotic 16S rDNA gene was detected in amplified PCR products. Nested PCR resulted in DNA amplification of 1.2 kbp fragment. This is the first report of a phytoplasmal rDNA gene identified from the putative causal pathogen of yellows in ornamental palms in the Arabian Gulf region.