Australasian Plant Pathology (1997) 26, 28-36

D.T. White, S.J. Billington, K.B. Walsh and P.T. Scott (1997)
DNA sequence analysis supports the association of phytoplasmas with papaya (Carica papaya) dieback, yellow crinkle and mosaic
Australasian Plant Pathology 26 (1), 28-36
Abstract: Previous studies using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers that hybridise to regions within and adjacent to the 16S rRNA gene have indicated that Australian papaya dieback, papaya mosaic and papaya yellow crinkle are associated with phytoplasmas (formerly called mycoplasma-like organisms). In this study, DNA sequence analysis of PCR products obtained from affected plant tissue has confirmed that the amplified DNA products are most similar to phytoplasmas associated with other plant diseases. These results support the proposition that phytoplasmas may be the causal agents of these economically significant papaya diseases in Australia. Further, a PCR product obtained from DNA extracts of Rutherglen bugs (Nysius vinitor) found on papaya plants, also had a sequence that was similar to those of other phytoplasmas. However, this sequence was different from any of the PCR products derived from diseased papaya. N. vinitor is an unlikely vector of phytoplasmas because of its mechanism of feeding, but this result suggests that it should be considered in future studies of the vector of papaya dieback, mosaic and yellow crinkle.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Phytoplasma aurantifolia	Papaya (Carica papaya)
	Nysius vinitor	Papaya (Carica papaya)