A. Padovan et al., Association of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense' with green petal and lethal yellows diseases in strawberry, PLANT PATH, 49(3), 2000, pp. 362-369
The identity of phytoplasmas detected in strawberry plants with green petal
(SGP) and lethal yellows (SLY) diseases was determined by RFLP analysis of
the 16S rRNA gene and adjacent spacer region (SR). RFLP and sequence compa
risons indicated that the phytoplasmas associated with SGP and SLY were ind
istinguishable and were most closely related to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aus
traliense', the phytoplasma associated with Australian grapevine yellows, p
apaya dieback and Phormium yellow leaf diseases. This taxon lies within the
aster yellows strain cluster. Primers based on the phytoplasma tuf gene, w
hich amplify only members of the AY strain cluster, amplified a DNA product
from the SGP and SLY phytoplasmas. Primers deduced from the 16S rRNA/SR of
P. australiense that amplify only members of this taxon amplified rDNA seq
uences from the SGP and SLY phytoplasmas. Primers that selectively amplify
members of the faba bean phyllody (FBP) phytoplasma group, the most commonl
y occurring phytoplasma group in Australia, did not amplify rDNA from the S
GP and SLY phytoplasmas.