First Report on the Witches' Broom in Annual Statice (Limonium sinuatum) in Korea

Abstract

In 2003 typical phytoplasma symptoms of witches` broom and flower malformation were observed on statice (Limonium sinuatum) plants grown at commercial greenhouses in Busan, South Korea. The DNA extracted from the infected leaves was amplified using universal primer pair of Pl/P6 derived from conserved 16S rRNA gene of Mollicutes giving the expected Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product of 1.5 kb. In the nested PCR assays, the expected DNA fragment of 1.1 kb was amplified with the specific primer pair 16Fl/Rl that was designed on the basis of aster yellows (AY) phytoplasma 16S rDNA sequences. The 1.1 kb PCR products were cloned and nucleotide sequences were determined. The sequences were identical to that of Onion yellows OY phytoplasma (GenBank accession no. D12569) isolated from Onion in Japan. Electron microscopy of thin sections of leaf veins showed phytoplasma bodies in the phloem. Statice witches` broom symptom occurred on statice in commercial greenhouses in Korea was confirmed as infection of AY phytoplasma by transmission electron microscopy observation, and by determination of 16S rRNA gene sequences of phytoplasma.