Journal of Phytopathology (2016) 164, 217-225

Abdelaleim I. ElSayed, Ziad Soufi, Khalid M. Wahdan and Ewald Komor (2016)
Detection and characterization of phytoplasma and Sugarcane yellow leaf virus associated with leaf yellowing of sugarcane
Journal of Phytopathology 164 (4), 217-225
Abstract: Leaves from sugarcane were collected from Egyptian plantation fields and tested for phytoplasma (Sugarcane yellows phytoplasma, SCYP) and Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) using nested PCR (with different primers) and RT-PCR, respectively. These results showed significant differences in the amplification of the PCR assays. The primer MLO-X/MLO-Y, which amplified the 16S-23S rDNA spacer region, was the most precise to detect the phytoplasma in sugarcane plants. Sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis revealed that all tested phytoplasmas belonged to the 16SrI (aster yellows phytoplasma) group, with the exception of cultivar G84-47 belonged to the 16SrXI (Rice yellow dwarf phytoplasma) group. Three Egyptian sugarcane cultivars were phytoplasma free. Phylogenetic analyses of 34 screened accessions of 16S ribosomal DNA gene sequences of Candidatus phytoplasma including the ones collected from Egypt used in this study and those extracted from GenBank showed that they split into two distinct clusters. The phylogenetic analyses indicated that these phytoplasmas are closely related and share a common ancestor. All tested Egyptian sugarcane plants were infected by SCYLV with the exception of cultivar Phil-8013 which was virus free.
(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:
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	16SrI phytoplasma group	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	Egypt
	Sugarcane yellow leaf virus	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	Egypt
	16SrXI phytoplasma group	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	Egypt