Abstract
'Candidates Phytoplasma solani', known by its trivial name stolbur phytoplasma, is a plant pathogen infecting numerous crops in Serbia. Celery plants with prominent leaf yellowing and chlorosis, sporadically with tissue necrosis, were observed during August 2020 in Futog, situated in Novi Sad suburbia in Vojvodina. Total of 12 sampled celery plants, 8 symptomatic and 4 asymptomatic ones, were analysed for 'Ca. P. solani' presence. All symptomatic celery plants were infected with stolbur phytoplasma according to the stoll 1 gene detection and therefore were further subjected to multigene molecular characterization on three genes: tuf, stamp and vmpl. Combining molecular tools PCR/RFLP and sequencing reviled two 'Ca. P. solani' multilocus genotypes in celery: tuf-b/Rqg31/V14 and tuf-b/ Rpm35/V14, present in 4 samples each. Obtained results of the strain genotyping are in concordance with previous data on the 'Ca. P. solani' diversity on celery, but supplemented with genotyping of the vmpl gene. Outbreak of stolbur phytoplasma in the assessed locality in Futog is linked to tuf-b epidemiological cycle correlated in Serbia mainly with weed Convolvulus arvensis which was present in the subjected celery plot, and could have been the phytoplasma inoculum source. Visual evaluation of the symptom occurrence suggests on 10-15% of 'Ca. P. solani' affected celery plants scattered throughout the plot corresponding to the pathogen dispersal in crop by cixiid planthoper Hyalesthes obsoletus (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) associated with C. arvensis, main vector of stolbur phytoplasma in Serbia.
Highlights
‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’, belonging to the 16SrXII-A ribosomal subgroup, is fastidious obligate phytopathogenic bacterium endemic in Europe (Quaglino et al, 2013)
Since thorough molecular characterization of the ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains infecting celery in Serbia was not previously done, presented study will provide an insight into the genetical diversity of the phytoplasma strains infecting this vegetable crop in Vojvodina
Multilocus characterization of ‘Ca P. solani’ strains All celery samples that were stoll11-positive were further subjected to the molecular characterization combining PCR, RFLP analysis and sequencing of the (1) housekeeping gene tuf and more variable genes (2) stamp and (3) vmp1
Summary
‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ (stolbur phytoplasma), belonging to the 16SrXII-A ribosomal subgroup, is fastidious obligate phytopathogenic bacterium endemic in Europe (Quaglino et al, 2013). Since thorough molecular characterization of the ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains infecting celery in Serbia was not previously done, presented study will provide an insight into the genetical diversity of the phytoplasma strains infecting this vegetable crop in Vojvodina. DNA extraction and molecular identification of ‘Ca P. solani’ Total nucleic acids were extracted from previously prepared samples of celery plants applying the CTAB protocol (Doyle & Doyle, 1990).
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