engleski

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pini’ in Pinus mugo and P. halepensis from Croatia

It has been long suspected that phytoplasmas, phloem inhabiting plant pathogens, are not limited to angiosperms. Recently, clear evidence has been provided of their presence in conifers as well. Various gymnosperm species in Europe and America have been confirmed as phytoplasmas’ hosts in the last couple of years and a novel taxon - ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pini’, has been established, since phytoplasma strains isolated from different pine species clearly differentiated in 16S rDNA sequence as well as in host range from other, previously identified phytoplasmas. Needles from 38 different trees, belonging to seven conifers species were collected during 2011 in littoral and continental Croatia. Species included in the study were: Cupressus sempervirens, Juniperus oxycedrus, Picea abies, Pinus halepensis, P. mugo and P. nigra. After a total nucleic acid extraction, nested PCRs utilizing P1/P7 and R16F2n/R2 primers were performed. In one P. mugo and six P. halepensis samples the presence of phytoplasma 16S rDNA was repeatedly confirmed. PCR amplicons from the nested PCR have been purified and sequenced. Our analysis revealed that all phytoplasma isolates obtained from conifers in Croatia shared same 16S rDNA sequence with Spanish, Polish and Czech ‘Ca. P. pini’ isolates. This is the first report of ‘Ca. P. pini’ in Croatia, observed in two different pine species.

aleppo pine; mountain pine; molecular detection; phytoplasma; symptoms

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