Diseased sugarcane in Sri Lanka is infected with sugarcane grassy shoot and/or sugarcane white leaf phytoplasma

H. A. C. K. Ariyarathna; J. M. D. T. Everard; E. H. Karunanayake

doi:10.1071/DN07050

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Diseased sugarcane in Sri Lanka is infected with sugarcane grassy shoot and/or sugarcane white leaf phytoplasma

H. A. C. K. Ariyarathna ^A ^B , J. M. D. T. Everard ^A and E. H. Karunanayake ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Institute of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Coomarathunga Munidasa Mawatha, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.

^B Corresponding author. Email: ckariyarathna@yahoo.com

Australasian Plant Disease Notes 2(1) 123-125 https://doi.org/10.1071/DN07050
Submitted: 21 May 2007 Accepted: 2 August 2007 Published: 15 August 2007

Abstract

Polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis confirmed the association of at least one phytoplasma with widespread yellowing and tillering disease in sugarcane in Sri Lanka. The associated phytoplasma is 98% identical to both sugarcane white leaf phytoplasma and sugarcane grassy shoot phytoplasma.

Additional keywords: phytoplasma specific primers, sequence homology, mixed infection.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to sincerely acknowledge the financial assistance from the Swedish Agency for Research Co-operation with Developing Countries (SAREC) Grant for Capacity Building in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry.

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