Detection of 16SrII Group Phytoplasma in China Aster (Callistephus chinensis)

China aster, Callistephus chinensis, is widely grown in Myanmar as an ornamental plant. Symptoms of flower virescence were observed in diseased China aster plants in Yezin, Myanmar. The presence of a phytoplasma was detected and identified by applying Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)/ Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) techniques and sequencing the 16S ribosomal DNA. The phytoplasma was identified as belonging to ribosomal subgroup 16SrII-A, never reported before in China aster. It showed almost 100 % similarity with a 16S rDNA sequence of sunn hemp witches' broom phytoplasma (AB558143), which belongs to the peanut witches' broom phytoplasma group. This is the first record of China aster as a new host for a subgroup 16SrII-A phytoplasma.

[1]  H. Rahimian,et al.  The first report of transmission of a phytoplasma associated with sesame phyllody by Orosius albicinctus in Iran , 2007, Australasian Plant Disease Notes.

[2]  J. Délano-Frier,et al.  Amaranthus spp.: a new host of “Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia” , 2009, Phytoparasitica.

[3]  S. Kawano,et al.  Occurrence of chrysanthemum virescence caused by “Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia” in Okinawa , 2007, Journal of General Plant Pathology.

[4]  M. Zeidan,et al.  PHYTOPLASMA DISEASES IN ORNAMENTAL CROPS IN ISRAEL , 2006 .

[5]  P. Sobiczewski,et al.  Molecular detection and characterisation of phytoplasma infecting Callistephus chinensis plants in Lithuania. , 2005 .

[6]  S. Miller,et al.  Molecular and symptom analyses of phytoplasma strains from lettuce reveal a diverse population. , 2004, Phytopathology.

[7]  R. Davis,et al.  'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris', a novel phytoplasma taxon associated with aster yellows and related diseases. , 2004, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[8]  Wei Wei,et al.  'Candidatus phytoplasma ziziphi', a novel phytoplasma taxon associated with jujube witches'-broom disease. , 2003, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[9]  H. Jung,et al.  Phylogenetic and taxonomic status of the phytoplasmas associated with water dropwort (Oenanthe javanica DC) disease in Korea and Japan , 2002 .

[10]  R. Davis,et al.  Classification of aster yellows-group phytoplasmas based on combined analyses of rRNA and tuf gene sequences. , 2000, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[11]  R. Davis,et al.  Phytoplasma: phytopathogenic mollicutes. , 2000, Annual review of microbiology.

[12]  D. Gundersen-Rindal,et al.  Revised Classification Scheme of Phytoplasmas based on RFLP Analyses of 16S rRNA and Ribosomal Protein Gene Sequences , 1998 .

[13]  Bernd Schneider,et al.  Taxonomic relatedness and phylogenetic positions of phytoplasmas associated with diseases of faba bean, sunnhemp, sesame, soybean, and eggplant , 1995 .