First report of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ in Ecuador and in South America

‘ Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (CaLso) haplotypes A and B, is a phloem-limited proteobacterium widely associated with Zebra chip (ZC) disease in potato tubers. In June 2019, symptoms such as yellowing and upward rolling in leaves and browning of vascular tissues and streaks at the medullary area in tubers were observed at potato fields located at the Pichincha province, Ecuador. In addition, high populations of Bactericera cockerelli were associated with the occurrence of these symptoms. CaLso haplotype A was detected in infected potato fields and the psyllid, B. cockerelli using conventional PCR. DNA sequence analysis confirmed CaLso in infected potato plants and insect tissues. To our knowledge this is the first report of CaLso haplotype A associated with potato and B. cockerelli at the Pichincha province, Ecuador and South America, where potato represents an important agricultural commodity.