Characterization of phytoplasma associated with chickpea phyllody based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis

Phytoplasmas are known to commonly cause witches-broom, yellows, phyllody, little leaf and red leaf diseases in a number of plant species worldwide. In January 2016, some plants of chickpea with symptoms such as conversion of floral parts into leafy structures, proliferation of shoots and stunting were observed in Badnapur and Rahuri (Maharshtara), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Bangalore (Karnataka). Sequence analyses of 16S rRNA gene indicated that all the chickpea infecting phytoplasma isolates under study belonged to the peanut witches’-broom phytoplasma group (16SrII). Sequences of 16S rRNA gene of 5 isolates shared 99.7 to 99.9% similarities with that of the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiae’ reference strain (Y10097). The phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences of all the five isolates originated from the chickpea infecting phytoplasma clustered with 16SrII-D group/subgroups.