Abstract
The γ-proteobacterium ‘Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus’ is assigned as the major pathogen of “Syndrome des basses richesses”, a sugar beet disease characterised by a reduction in the sugar content of taproots and biomass yield. Despite the economic impact of this bacteriosis, diagnostics for this important pathogen currently rely on end-point PCR detection. Herein, we introduce a TaqMan qPCR for diagnostics of the agent targeting genes encoding a heat shock protein of the Hsp20 family and mannose-6-phosphate isomerase. Quantitation with synthetic oligonucleotides as standard showed that the developed TaqMan qPCR assays enable the detection of up to 100 target copies. A comparison between the TaqMan qPCR and end-point PCR for ‘Ca. A. phytopathogenicus’ detection was carried out on 78 sugar beet samples from different locations in southern Germany. The newly developed assays enable the fast, reliable and sensitive detection of ‘Ca. A. phytopathogenicus’ in sugar beet.
Highlights
Germany is one of the world’s largest sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) producers, but in2008, a new and devastating disease, named “Syndrome des basses richesses” (SBR), was recognised in the country [1]
SBR has been well-known in neighbouring French Burgundy since the 1990s and results in taproots characterised by a lowered sugar content of up to
Two vector-transmitted and phloem-limited bacteria are associated with this disease, namely the γ-proteobacterium ‘Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus’ [3,4,5] and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ from the Mollicutes class [2,6]
Summary
Germany is one of the world’s largest sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) producers, but in2008, a new and devastating disease, named “Syndrome des basses richesses” (SBR), was recognised in the country [1]. 5% and reduced biomass, resulting in high economic losses [2]. It is widespread in south-western parts of Germany, where it threatens profitability for sugar beet growers and associated industry sectors. Two vector-transmitted and phloem-limited bacteria are associated with this disease, namely the γ-proteobacterium ‘Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus’ [3,4,5] and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ from the Mollicutes class [2,6]. ‘Ca. A. phytopathogenicus’ has been identified as the main agent for SBR [7,8], and is transmitted by the planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus (Cixiidae) [4,6]. Phytoplasma infection of sugar beet by ‘Ca. P. solani’ has been reported for Germany [9], but the epidemiology remains unclear
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