Association of aster yellows subgroup 16SrI-B phytoplasmas with a disease of Rehmannia glutinosa var. purpurea |
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| Authors: | J P&#;ibylovᆠJ &#;pak J Fránová K Petrzik |
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| Institution: | Department of Plant Virology, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská31, 370 05 ČeskéBuděìjovice, Czech Republic |
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| Abstract: | A new phytoplasma disease of Rehmannia glutinosa var. purpurea was observed in the Czech Republic in 1998. Infected plants showing severely proliferating shoots, leaves reduced in size with vein clearing and chlorosis, shortened internodes and virescent petals died in advanced stages of the disease. Electron microscopy examination of the ultra-thin sections revealed the presence of numerous polymorphic bodies in phloem tissue of leaf midribs and petioles. The disease was successfully transmitted from infected plant via a dodder bridge into periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus ). The phytoplasma aetiology of this disease was further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using universal primers R16F2/R16R2. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of amplification products indicated the presence of aster yellows related phytoplasmas (16SrI-B) in naturally infected samples of R. glutinosa var . purpurea and in symptomatic periwinkle after dodder transmission of the agent. A comparison of the amplified sequence with 17 sequences available in the GenBank confirmed the classification of the phytoplasma in the subgroup 16SrI-B. This is the first report of natural occurrence of phytoplasma-associated disease in R. glutinosa var. purpurea. |
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| Keywords: | 16S rDNA sequence electron microscopy phytoplasma polymerase chain reaction Rehmannia glutinosa restriction fragment length polymorphism |
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