Association of a 16SrIX-C phytoplasma with eggplant phyllody in Iran

In 2011-2012 surveys for phytoplasma diseases, eggplant )Solanum melongena L.( plants with phyllody symptoms were observed in eggplant fields of Roodan (Hormozgan province of Iran). Agent of Roodan Eggplant Phyllody (REP) was transmitted from phyllody affected eggplant to eggplant and tomato by grafting and to periwinkle via dodder inoculation inducing phytoplasma-type symptoms. Phytoplasmal infection also was demonstrated by positive direct PCR reaction with phytoplasma universal primer pair P₁/P₇ and nested PCR using P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2 primer pairs.A P₁/P₇ primed PCR product from a naturally phyllody affected eggplant was cloned and sequenced and submitted to GenBank under accession number JX464669. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of P1/P7-primed PCR product indicated the presence of a pigeon pea witches'-broom (16SrIX) group related phytoplasma in naturally phyllody affected eggplants. Using 16S rRNA and SR sequences, Blast search, phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analyses and nucleotide homology percent revealed that REP associated phytoplasma is classified with members of 16SrIX-C subgroup. To our knowledge eggplant is reported for the first time as a host for a 16SrIX group related phytoplasma.