1Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural College, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Mahanandi-518502, Andhra Pradesh, India
2Department of Plant Pathology, S.V. Agricultural College, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Tirupati-517502, Andhra Pradesh, India
3Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Bapatla-522101, Andhra Pradesh, India
*Corresponding author e-mail: Madem Gurivi Reddy (gurivipath@gmail.com)
Online published on 12 February, 2025.
This study provides the molecular identification of a phytoplasma associated with witches’ broom disease in bamboo from Andhra Pradesh, India. Bamboo plants exhibiting excessive shoot proliferation and stunting were collected from the Seshachalam forests of Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh. The DNA extracted from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants was analyzed using PCR with universal phytoplasma primers, revealing the presence of phytoplasmas in symptomatic plants. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA and rp genes identified the phytoplasmas as a strain of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiae=australasiaticum’. Virtual RFLP analysis confirmed these results, with the bamboo phytoplasma strains showing identical profile to the one of phytoplasmas in the 16SrII-D subgroup. These findings contribute to the understanding of phytoplasma diversity in bamboo and provide a foundation for future research on managing phytoplasma-related diseases in bamboo cultivation.
Witches’ broom, Rp gene, PCR/RFLP, Sequencing, BLASTn
