“Flavescence dorée” phytoplasma strains genetic variability: A comparative genomics approach

“Flavescence dorée” (FD) is a severe and epidemic grapevine yellows disease associated with the “flavescence dorée” phytoplasma transmitted by the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus, affecting most of the major European viticultural regions. Control of FD relies only on insecticides against S. titanus and uprooting of the infected plants. No fully resistant grapevine cultivar is available thus, understanding phytoplasmas pathogenicity and genomics is crucial for developing alternative defense strategies. This research describes the genome sequencing of four “flavescence dorée” strains, detected in different symptomatic grapevine varieties collected in the Trentino province (north Italy), using Oxford nanopore long-read sequencing. A comparative analysis of all available phytoplasmas genomes with these four “flavescence dorée” phytoplasmas was performed, providing insights into the genomics of these “flavescence dorée” strains.