Detection and identification of a phytoplasma associated with rapeseedfasciation in Iran

During surveys in 2017 and 2018, a disease was observed in rapeseed fields in east of Iran. Affected plants exhibited extensive fasciation, formation of bunches of flowers, lack of leaves formation and seed pod abortion. The symptomatic rapeseed plants were analyzed for phytoplasma presence by nested PCR using phytoplasma universal primers and all tested symptomatic rapeseeds plants were positive for phytoplasma presence, while asymptomatic rapeseed plants were negative. Nested PCR positive samples were directly sequenced and in silico RFLP and phylogenetic analyses of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA sequences indicated the presence of a phytoplasma enclosed in the peanut witches’ broom broom group (16SrII). This is the first report of phytoplasma presence in rapeseed plants showing fasciation.