1Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy
2Institute of Agriculture & Natural Sciences, DDU Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur-273009, Uttar Pradesh, India
3Department of Plant Pathology, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya-224229, Uttar Pradesh, India
4Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya-224229, Uttar Pradesh, India
*Corresponding author e-mail: Nicoletta Contaldo (nicoletta.contaldo2@unibo.it)
Online Published on 19 April, 2023.
Samples were collected from seedlings of mango varieties Amprapali and Dashehri showing symptoms of witches’ broom in India. The disease incidence resulted up to 30% in a commercial fruit nursery at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, therefore the presence of phytoplasmas was verified. Three phytoplasmas were detected by PCR/RFLP analyses on the 16S ribosomal gene and resulted enclosed in groups 16SrI, 16SrII and 16SrVI. Further amplification on imp, sap, rp and clp DNA fragments located outside the phytoplasma ribosomal region allowed the 16SrII strain characterization and confirmed its clustering with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’. The presence of diverse phytoplasmas in mango seedlings from a nursery indicate the high risk of using phytoplasma infected materials for the new plantations. However, the possibility of the phytoplasma identity tracking by multigene analyses may help in elucidating their dissemination in the orchards by insect vectors and/or other agricultural practices.
Witches’, broom, Ribosomal subgroups, Mangifera indica, Disease, Nursery
