First report of 16SrII-A phytoplasma associated with witches' broom in <i>Heliotropium arboreum</i> (Blanco) Mabb. from Xisha Islands, with <i>Halticus minutus</i> as a putative vector.

ABSTRACT: Heliotropium arboreum (Blanco) Mabb. (syn. Tournefortia argentea), a key pioneer plant in tropical coastal ecosystems, plays a vital role in stabilizing coral islands. In China's Xisha Islands, H. arboreum exhibited witches' broom symptoms (leaf deformities, reduced leaf size, floral phyllody). PCR assays were employed-using universal and phytoplasma-specific primers to amplify the 16S rRNA, secY, and secA genes-yielding amplicons of 1,248 bp (PV640668), 779 bp (PV854866), and 440 bp (PV854867), confirming a phytoplasma infection (designated H. arboreum witches' broom phytoplasma, HaWB). BLASTn analysis showed 100% sequence identity with 16SrII-group phytoplasmas, while phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analyses classified HaWB as a 16SrII-A subgroup s

SUBMITTER: Wang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12463901 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature