1Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research institute, New Delhi-110012, India
2Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Manesar, Haryana-122413, India
*Corresponding author e-mail: G.P. Rao (gprao_gor@rediffmail.com)
Online published on 21 January, 2014.
During a survey in flower nurseries at IARI campus, New Delhi carried out in 2012–13, Brachycome species plants grown in pots and flower beds showed leaf yellows (LY) and witches’ broom (WB) symptoms. Samples were collected from these plants and analyzed for phytoplasma presence through PCR assays. DNA from four symptomatic plants was extracted and produced amplicons of 1.2 kb in nested PCR assays. Symptomless plants did not produce amplicons. The sequencing and BLASTn analysis revealed 99% identity with strains related to ‘Candidatus P. asteris’. Phylogenetic analysis further confirmed the clustering of Brachycome phytoplasma with ‘Ca. P. asteris’ strains. This is the first report of 16SrI group phytoplasma association with Brachycome LY and WB disease in the world.
Phytoplasma, Brachycome sp., leaf yellows, witches’, broom
