Detection and Characterization of the Phytoplasma Associated with Marigold Phyllody in Mexico
Journal of Plant Pathology (2003), 85 (2), 81-86 Edizioni ETS Pisa, 2003 81 DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PHYTOPLASMA ASSOCIATED WITH MARIGOLD PHYLLODY IN MEXICO R.I. Rojas-Martínez1, E. Zavaleta-Mejía1 I.M. Lee2, M. Martini2 and H.S. Aspiros3 1Instituto de Fitosanidad. Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, México 56230 2Molecular Plant Pathology. USDA, ARS, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA 3Laboratorio de Biotecnología, INIFAP, Chapingo, Mexico 56230 SUMMARY disease is characterized by a variety of symptoms resem- bling those caused by phytoplasmal infections, namely Cempazuchil (marigold, Tagetes erecta L.) plants with shoot proliferation (witches’ broom), green petal flow- symptoms of phyllody, virescence, witches’ broom ers (virescence), leafy floral structures (phyllody), (shoot proliferation), apical dwarfing and yellowing dwarfing or yellowing. Diseased plants produce few were collected from fields in the States of Puebla, Mi- flowers with normal pigments. choacan, Guanajuato, and Estado de Mexico. They In Mexico, marigold phyllody was first reported by were examined for the presence of phytoplasmas by Zavaleta-Mejía et al. (1993), who found a 5% incidence nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the uni- in experimental plots at Montecillo, Mexico, and a 50% versal primer pair R16mF2/R16mR1 followed by the incidence in commercial plots at Tecamachalco, Puebla. primer pair R16F2n/R16R2. Restriction fragment length Since then, the disease has spread into several states of polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of R16F2n/R16R2-PCR the central part of the country. products and the sequencing of the 16S rDNA indicat- The causal agent of marigold phyllody has never ed that the phytoplasma which induces the disease been identified. However, since electron microscopy known as “filodia del cempazuchil” (marigold phyllody) observations had shown that the disease could be belongs to the aster yellows group (16SrI), subgroup B.
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