European Journal of Plant Pathology (2013) 136, 675-688

Jana Fránová, Hana Ludvíková, Frantisek Paprstein and Assunta Bertaccini (2013)
Genetic diversity of Czech ´Candidatus Phytoplasma mali' strains based on multilocus gene analyses
European Journal of Plant Pathology 136 (4), 675-688
Abstract: In several European countries apple trees are affected by apple proliferation disease, which is usually associated with the presence of `Candidatus Phytoplasma mali'. During 2010, samples from several apple trees displaying proliferation symptoms were collected throughout the Czech Republic to verify identity of phytoplasmas detected in association with the disease. The majority of the 74 apple trees examined using molecular tools were positive for `Ca. P. mali' presence. The 16S-23S ribosomal genes, the ribosomal protein genes and the nitroreductase and rhodonase like genes were then studied to verify phytoplasma strain variability on multigenic bases. Two RFLP profiles and correspondingly two genetic lineages were found in the PCR-amplified fragments covering the 16S-23S rDNA spacer region. `Ca. P. mali' strains belonging to rpX-A subgroup were identified in the majority of the apple tree sampled, whereas phytoplasmas belonging to the rpX-B subgroup were distributed sporadically. The apple proliferation subtypes AP-15 and AT-2 exhibited nearly equal occurrence; the AT-1 subtype and a mixture of the two or all three of the AP subtypes were infrequently found. The PCR/RFLP results were confirmed by nucleotide sequence analyses of selected `Ca. P. mali' strains.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Jana Fránová, Assunta Bertaccini

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Phytoplasma mali	Apple (Malus)	Czech Republic