Host Range and Genetic Characterization of a Phytoplasma Causing Tomato Stolbur Disease in Turkey

An outbreak of new stolbur like tomato disease occurred in Marmara region of Turkey causing a serious defect on yield and quality of tomato production during last 10 years. Therefore, the aim of this present study was to identify and characterize the causal agent of stolbur like disease on tomato in Turkey. Between 2004 and 2007, plant and pest samples collected from diseased tomato fields or neighboring areas were examined by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using phytoplasma-universal 16S rDNA based primer sets (P1/P7 and P1/P6) to detect the presence of phytoplasmas. The data showed that tomato stolbur disease was distributed in tomato production areas in the provinces of Western Anatolia, Turkey. Dodder (Cuscuta campestris), broomrape (Orobanche ramosa), jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), ladysthumb (Polygonum persicaria), foxtails (Setaria spp.), lambsquarters (Chenopodium album), pigweed (Amaranthus albus) were determined as alternative host of tomato phytoplasmas among the plant species tested. Only one, Tyhlocyba quercus among 22 insect species collected from tomato fields were found to be potential vector of tomato stolbur disease. The results showed that all aboveground part of diseased tomato plants, weeds and vector pests give a unique PCR amplicon (1500 and 1800 bp) with P1/P6 and P1/P7 primer sets, respectively. http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?session=8816