Utilization of rp and tuf genes in the characterisation of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’ strains associated with witches’ broom andshoot proliferation of Dendrocalamus strictus in India

Two housekeeping genes (rp and tuf) specific primers designed for phytoplasmas enclosed in 16SrII group were employed for characterization of detected in Dendrocalamus strictus (Calcutta bamboo) showing witches’ broom and little leaf symptoms from four states of India. Amplification of about 1.3 kb products was achieved by utilising primers rp(II)F1/rpIR1A followed by rp(II)F2/rpIR1A in nested PCR assays from D. strictus phytoplasma strains from Karnataka and New Delhi. The samples from Karnataka, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura displayed amplifications of about 1.0 kb DNA for the tuf gene. Sequence comparison of the rp and tuf gene sequences confirmed that the phytoplasmas associated with the symptomatic bamboo samples from all the four states clusters with strain classified in the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’ species.