1Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Division, Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Pune, 412 307, Maharashtra, India.
2Department of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, 416 004, Maharashtra, India.
@Part of Ph.D. Thesis submitted by PGK to Shivaji University, Kolhapur
Sugarcane Grassy Shoot (SCGS) disease caused by phytoplasma, one of the major constraints in sugarcane cultivation, cause severe loss in millable canes. The present study was targeted towards identifying SCGS phytoplasma-specific gene fragments using Arbitrarily Primed-PCR technique, and developing efficient and species-specific detection tools for SCGS phytoplasma. AP-PCR analysis revealed, 308 scorable transcript-derived fragments (TDFs), among them six were up- and 68 were down- regulated. Seventy TDFs were from phytoplasmal origin. Detection efficiency of four potential SCGS specific TDFs Opa11P3, Opc3P4, Opc8P3 and Opk3P2 was determined. Opa11P3 was found 13% more efficient than the universal 16S rDNA detection system.
SCGS phytoplasma, cDNA profiling, AP-PCR, ribotyping, TDFs, RAPD