Transmission of PPV-M to Prunus persica by Brachycaudus schwartzi and Phorodon Humuli (Hem. Aphididae)

Aphids are reported to be vectors of the most serious viral pathogen of the drupaceous species plum pox virus (PPV), but there is little direct experimental evidence of this. PPV (serotype M) is widespread in peach orchards even where there are severe control measures. Laboratory bioassays were conducted to study, under controlled conditions, the ability of Brachycaudus schwartzi (Borner) and Phorodon humuli (Schrank) to transmit PPV (serotype M). The results have shown that all the peach trees tested had evident symptoms of sharka and were positive to the RT-PCR analysis, confirming the ability of these two aphid species to transmit the virus.

Sequence analyses of S10-spcoperon among 16SrV group phytoplasmas: phylogenetic relationships and identification of discriminating single nucleotide polymorphisms

Phytoplasmas are cell-wall less, uncultivable bacteria, belonging to the class Mollicutes. They parasitise both plant hosts and insect vectors, but knowledge of their biological and molecular properties is limited. In particular, analyses of 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences revealed that 16SrV group phytoplasma strains identified in grapevine plants are closely related, but associated with distinct ecologies. In this work, we investigated the evolutionary relationships of eight representative 16SrV phytoplasma strains by sequencing 15 ribosomal protein (rp) genes positioned within the S10-spc operon. Phylogenetic analyses of concatenated nucleotide and amino acid sequences underscored that 16S…

On the transmissibility of PPV by Myzus varians Davidson (Homoptera: Aphididae) to Clematis vitalba L. (Ranunculaceae).