Detection and differentiation of the coconut lethal yellowing phytoplasma in coconut‐growing villages of Grand‐Lahou, Côte d'Ivoire

Surveys for the Côte d'Ivoire lethal yellowing (CILY) phytoplasma were conducted in eight severely CILY‐affected villages of Grand‐Lahou in 2015. Leaves, inflorescences and trunk borings were collected from coconut palms showing CILY symptoms and from symptomless trees. Total DNA was extracted from these samples and tested by nested polymerase chain reaction/RFLP and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA, ribosomal protein (rp) and the translocation protein (secA) genes. The CILY phytoplasma was detected in 82.9% of the symptom‐bearing palms collected from all the surveyed villages and from all the plant parts. Trunk borings were recommended as the most suitable plant tissue type for sampling. Results indicate that the CILY phytoplasma may have a westward spread to other coconut‐growing areas of Grand‐Lahou. CILY phytoplasma strains infecting coconut palms in the western region of Grand‐Lahou exhibited unique single nucleotide polymorphisms on the rp sequence compared to the strains from the eastern region. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms on the SecA sequence distinguished the CILY phytoplasma from the Cape St. Paul Wilt Disease phytoplasma in Ghana, and the Lethal Yellowing phytoplasma in Mozambique.