Journal of Phytopathology (2016) 164, 996-1002

Mohammad Salehi, Seyyed Alireza Esmailzadeh Hosseini, Elham Salehi and Assunta Bertaccini (2016)
Occurrence and characterization of a 16SrII-D subgroup phytoplasma associated with parsley witches' broom disease in Iran
Journal of Phytopathology 164 (11-12), 996-1002
Abstract: During 2010–2013 surveys for the presence of phytoplasma diseases in Yazd province (Iran), a parsley witches' broom (PrWB) disease was observed. Characteristic symptoms were excessive development of short spindly shoots from crown buds, little leaf, yellowing, witches' broom, stunting, flower virescence and phyllody. The disease causative agent was dodder transmitted from symptomatic parsley to periwinkle and from periwinkle to periwinkle by grafting inducing phytoplasma-type symptoms. Expected length DNA fragments of nearly 1800 and 1250 bp were, respectively, amplified from naturally infected parsley and experimentally inoculated periwinkle plants in direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using phytoplasma primer pair P1/P7 or nested PCR using the same primer pair followed by R16F2n/R16R2 primers. Restriction fragment length polymorphism and phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the phytoplasma associated with PrWB disease in Yazd province belong to 16SrII-D phytoplasma subgroup. This is the first report of association of a 16SrII-related phytoplasma with PrWB disease in Iran.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Assunta Bertaccini, Mohammad Salehi

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

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	16SrII phytoplasma group	Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)	Iran