Bulletin of Insectology (2007) 60, 281-282

I. Sobolev, P.G. Weintraub, A. Gera, Y. Tam and S. Spiegel (2007)
Phytoplasma infection in the four o'clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa)
Bulletin of Insectology 60 (2), 281-282
First International Phytoplasmologist Working Group Meeting (IPWG), Bologna (Italy) November 12-15, 2007
Abstract: The four o'clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa L.), a native of tropical South America, has been naturalized as an ornamental garden plant in many parts of the world, including Israel. Plants are multi-branched perennials that produce fragrant colorful flowers over the course of a few months. Plants with small yellow leaves and petite, distorted flowers, resembling phytoplasma-like symptoms, were observed in a home garden in the north of Israel. Using a nested polymerase chain reaction assay (PCR) with phytoplasma universal primers a product of 860 bp was obtained. Sequence analysis of the PCR product associated with infected M. jalapa clustered within a major group of phytoplasmas - 16SrII, peanut witches' broom - and showed a 99% similarity with alfalfa witches' broom, a member of this group. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of phytoplasma infection in the four o'clock flower.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
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Database assignments for author(s): Phyllis G. Weintraub, Abed Gera

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.
	Alfalfa witches'-broom phytoplasma	Mirabilis (crop)	Israel