Geographic specificity of infestation of phytoplasma in weeds and sesame asrevealed by 16S rRNA gene based detection

Abstract

Nested PCR based study and analysis of the sequences of 16SrRNA fragment clones derived from the DNA isolated phyllody affected as well as healthy leaves of sesame crop and the weeds growing in the same fields showed that the prevalent strain of phytoplasma belonged to Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia of 16SrII-D group. This study showed that the phytoplasma causing phyllody infects other weed plants and thus provides a hint to the continuum in the availability of the pathogen infecting sesame crop.