1Department of Plant Pathology, Dr. YSR Horticultural University, 534101, Andhra Pradesh, India
2Department of Plant Pathology, ANGRAU, 522034, Andhra Pradesh, India
3Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, COH-Anantharajupta, Dr. YSR Horticultural University, 516105, Andhra Pradesh, India
*Corresponding author e-mail: Dasari Meghanath (stalwartmegham@gmail.com)
Online published on 5 March, 2025.
In 2022–2023, phytoplasmas were identified in all the major flower crops of the Andra Pradesh state. The key symptoms identified were witches’ broom, phyllody, little leaf, virescence, stunting and yellowing of leaves. A nested polymerase chain reaction assay was performed using universal and secAgene specific primers for detection and characterization of phytoplasmas from the symptomatic tissues. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that marigold phytoplasma strains belong to the 16SrI group, while those infecting crossandra, China aster, chrysanthemum, rose, and jasmine belong to the 16SrII group, associated with aster yellows and peanut witches’ broom phytoplasmas, respectively. The restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles generated through iPhyClassifier confirmed the phytoplasma identification.
Flower crops, Aster yellows, Peanut witches’ broom
