Leek proliferation: a new phytoplasma disease in the Czech Republic and Italy

• Published in: European journal of plant pathology Vol. 105; no. 5; pp. 487 - 493
• Main Authors: Bertaccini, A. (Bologna Univ. (Italy). Istituto di Patologia Vegetale), Franova, J, Paltrinieri, S, Martini, M, Navratil, M, Lugaresi, C, Nebesarova, J, Simkova, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01-08-1999; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: ALLIUM AMPELOPRASUM; Allium porrum; Bacteria; Bacterial plant pathogens; Biological and medical sciences; FITOPLASMAS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Generalities. Techniques. Transmission, epidemiology, ecology. Antibacterial substances, control; Microbiology; MICROSCOPIA; MICROSCOPIE; MICROSCOPY; PCR; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; PHYTOPLASMAS; PHYTOPLASME; Plant diseases; RFLP; Summer; Italy; Czech Republic; Europe; Monocotyledones; Plant pathogen; Genotype; First record; Epidemiology; Infection; Mollicutes; Characterization; Polymerase chain reaction; Liliaceae; Vegetable crop; Angiospermae; Allium porrum; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Spermatophyta; Phytoplasma
• ISSN: 0929-1873; 1573-8469
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1008745206438

During the summer 1996, twelve of twenty-eight leek plants located in a garden near Ceské Budjovice, South Bohemia exhibited symptoms typical of diseases associated with phytoplasmas. In summer 1998 similar symptoms were detected in leek plants in a field used for seed production located in Romagna, North Italy. In both cases the plants were established in the spring of the previous year. Plants showed flower abnormalities: stamen elongation, anther sterility, pistil proliferation, as well as poor, if any, seed production. Phytoplasma-like structures were detected by scanning and transmission electron microscopy in phloem sieve elements in the Czech diseased plants, but not in healthy ones. Nested-PCR amplifications of extracted DNA with phytoplasma-specific oligonucleotide primer pairs confirmed the presence of phytoplasmas in these plants at low concentrations. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of amplified ribosomal sequences allowed the identification of detected phytoplasmas: all the samples from the Czech Republic contained aster yellows related phytoplasmas (16SrI-B) while in the Italian samples aster yellows related phytoplasmas (16SrI-B) together with stolbur related phytoplasmas (16SrXII-A) were identified. This is the first report of detection and identification of a phytoplasma disease of leek in the Czech Republic and Italy.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]