Molecular detection of “stolbur” phytoplasma in celery plants in Romania

In September 2014, several plants of celery showing symptoms of reddish and yellowish leaves were found in a house garden located in Southern Romania (Giurgiu County). After sampling and molecular analyses carried out by nested PCR assays on phytoplasma ribosomal gene, amplicons were obtained from all symptomatic plants, but not from those that were asymptomatic. The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, with RsaI and Tru1I restriction enzymes, was carried out on the phytoplasma DNAs amplified in nested PCR with the primer pair R16F2n/R2. The phytoplasmas from all symptomatic celery plants showed identical RFLP profiles, which corresponded to the one of the “stolbur” phytoplasma, that belongs to 16SrXII-A subgroup (‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’). This represents the first report on molecular detection of a phytoplasma infecting celery plants in Romania.