Abstract
This paper provides an updating of information of a selected number of major phytoplasma diseases of forest trees, with a focus on the associated phytoplasma taxa. Phytoplasma diseases of forest trees have been less extensively studied than those affecting fruit trees. Research on the role of phytoplasmas as the cause of diseases of forest trees has only in the last few years been intensified, after sensitive and specific detection methods greatly based on PCR technology became available. Various phytoplasma taxa have been identified in naturally infected elm, ash, conifer, sandal, and eucalyptus trees, whereas only one phytoplasma taxon has been recorded in naturally infected alder trees. However, for almost all of the reviewed diseases, there is still sparse information about insect vectors, plant host range, strain virulence, pathogenicity, and host tolerance and resistance. Knowledge of these aspects is the basis for appropriate disease management. In particular, further research is required to clarify the role of phytoplasmas in asymptomatic trees. In addition, the etiological role of various “non-specific” phytoplasma taxa, which have been recorded in forest trees, while no data from pathological studies are available, needs to be further investigated.
Highlights
Phytoplasmas are a very large group of wall-less, obligate bacteria associated with diseases of more than a thousand plant species worldwide, including economically and ecologically important forest trees
Phytoplasmas are members of the class Mollicutes, which are closely related to acholeplasmas, and they are currently assigned to the provisional genus ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ mainly through 16S rDNA sequence analysis [2,3]
Phytoplasma infections have been detected for the first time in several forest trees, highlighting that phytoplasma diseases may play in forest trees the same role as in fruit trees
Summary
Phytoplasmas are a very large group of wall-less, obligate bacteria associated with diseases of more than a thousand plant species worldwide, including economically and ecologically important forest trees. They colonize the phloem elements and are naturally transmitted by phloem-feeding homopteran insects [1]. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) using less-conserved genes proved a useful tool for the identification of genetically closely related but pathologically or epidemiologically distinct strains. Identification of these strains is essential for epidemiological studies [5]
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