Abstract

The 16SrIV-A phytoplasmas are associated with the devastating disease lethal yellowing (LY) of palms. In Tabasco (Mexico), the death of Cocos nucifera, Adonidia merrillii, and Attalea butyracea palms have been suspected to be associated with LY based on symptomatology. Samples from the trunk of both symptomatic and nonsymptomatic palms were collected in three different environments: two species of palms within a rural zone and the other within an urban zone. DNA was extracted to perform a nested PCR with phytoplasma primers P1/P7-LY16SF/R16R2. A 1,345-bp fragment was amplified from the DNA extracted from each of the 29 LY-symptomatic palms sampled. Phytoplasma identification was achieved by amplicon sequencing and virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Three 16SrIV phytoplasma subgroups were detected: 16SrIV-A in C. nucifera, 16SrIV-B in A. merrillii, and 16SrIV-D in C. nucifera, A. merrillii, and A. butyracea. Phylogenetic analysis showed also that the three phytoplasma strains found in the palm species clustered with phytoplasmas reported in the literature in the three subgroups identified. This is the first report of phytoplasmas associated with these palm species in Tabasco.

Highlights

  • The 16SrIV-A phytoplasmas are associated with the devastating disease lethal yellowing (LY) of palms

  • In Tabasco (Mexico), the death of Cocos nucifera, Adonidia merrillii, and Attalea butyracea palms have been suspected to be associated with LY based on symptomatology

  • These sequences were subjected to virtual RFLP analysis of the R16F2n/R2 region in the phytoplasma ribosomal gene, and the results showed that phytoplasmas enclosed in three different subgroups were present in the samples: 16SrIV-A, -B, and -D, with profiles identical to phytoplasmas of LY

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Summary

Introduction

The 16SrIV-A phytoplasmas are associated with the devastating disease lethal yellowing (LY) of palms. Phytoplasma identification was achieved by amplicon sequencing and virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the three phytoplasma strains found in the palm species clustered with phytoplasmas reported in the literature in the three subgroups identified. This is the first report of phytoplasmas associated with these palm species in Tabasco. RNA (rRNA) gene have allowed the identification and comparison of phytoplasma strains with techniques such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and phylogenetic analysis (Gundersen and Lee 1996; Lee et al 1998b; Santos-Cervantes et al 2008; Schneider et al 1993; Wei et al 2007).

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