First report of a 'Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii'-related strain (16SrVI-A) associated with white leaf disease in Spirea japonica

摘要

In August of 2018 phytoplasmas naturally infecting Spirea japonica were found in Şanlıurfa province, Turkey and they were identified by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP) and phylogeny based on sequence analysis. Plants exhibited typical white leaf disease symptoms with reduced leaf size. The phytoplasmas were found to be closely related to ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma trifolii’ (16SrVI-A). This paper has reported that Spirea japonica is a new host for ‘Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii’ which is associated with the white leaf disease in S. japonica.