First report of oil seed rape (Brassica napus) associated phytoplasma diseases and their insect vector in Pakistan Ahmad Jam Nazeer1,*, Ahmad Samina Jam Nazeer2, Arif Muhammad Jalal1, Irfan Muhammad1 1Integrated Genomic, cellular, Developmental and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan 2Department of Botany, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan *Corresponding author e-mail: Jam Nazeer Ahmad (jamnazire@yahoo.com)
Online published on 2 January, 2015. Abstract Using direct and nested PCR technique followed by RFLP analysis, it was found that phytoplasmas were associated with Brassica napus plants showing symptoms such as phyllody, virescence, proliferation, flower sterility, from samples collected during a main survey carried out in different districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The samples from symptomatic plants were collected and observed by electron microscopy and tested using phytoplasma universal primer pairs R16F2n/R16R2, which confirmed the phytoplasma presence. Transmission trials by grafting and also by insects verify that the prokaryotes can be transmitted from diseased to healthy plants. Top Keywords Nested PCR, phytoplasma, Brassica napus, phyllody, insect vectors, Pakistan. Top |