Detection and identification of the maize bushy stunt phytoplasma in corn plants in Brazil using PCR and RFLP |
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| Authors: | Ivan P. Bedendo Robert E. Davis Ellen L. Dally |
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| Affiliation: | 1. National Crops Resources Research Institute , Namulonge , PO Box 7084 , Kampala , Uganda , (Present address: National Agricultural Laboratories, Kawanda, PO Box 7065 Kampala, Uganda);2. Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Crop Science , Makerere University , PO Box 7062, Kampala , Uganda;3. International Potato Centre, Uganda Office , PO Box 22274, Kampala , Uganda |
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| Abstract: | Plants of corn (Zea mays L.) exhibiting symptoms of stunting and leaf reddening were assayed for the presence of phytoplasma gene sequences through the use of phytoplasma rRNA and ribosomal protein gene and maize bushy stunt (MBS) phytoplasma-specific oligonucleotide primers in polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Polymorphisms in 16S rDNA amplified from diseased plants were those characteristic of phytoplasmas classified in the16S rRNA gene group 16SrI, subgroup IB, of which MBS phytoplasma is a member. Amplification of ribosomal protein (rp) gene sequences in PCR primed by phytoplasma-specific primers confirmed presence of a phytoplasma in the diseased plants. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of the amplified phytoplasma rp gene sequences were similar or identical to those observed for a known strain of MBS phytoplasma. In separate PCR, an MBS-specific oligonucleotide pair primed amplification of a MBS-characteristic DNA from templates derived from the diseased corn. Our data provide the first firm evidence for the presence of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma in corn in Brazil. |
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| Keywords: | Phytoplasma Corn Molecular Diagnosis |
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