Detection, Identification, and Molecular Characterization of the 16SrII-D Phytoplasmas Infecting Vegetable and Field Crops in Oman

Typical symptoms of phytoplasma infection were observed on 11 important crops in Oman that included alfalfa, sesame, chickpea, eggplant, tomato, spinach, rocket, carrot, squash, field pea, and faba bean. To identify the phytoplasmas in these crops, samples from infected and asymptomatic plants were collected, followed by amplifying and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA, secA, tuf, imp, and SAP11 genes. We found that these sequences share >99% similarity with the peanut witches' broom subgroup (16SrII-D). Whereas some sequence variation was found in the five genes among 11 phytoplasma isolates of different crops, all sequences grouped into one clade along with those of other phytoplasmas belonging to the 16SrII-D group. Thus, 16SrII-D phytoplasmas infect a diverse range of crops in Oman. Phytoplasmas in this group have not been reported to occur in carrot, spinach, rocket, and field pea previously. Within Oman, this is the first report of the presence of 16SrII-D phytoplasmas in tomato, spinach, rocket, carrot, squash, field pea, and faba bean. Sequences of the five genes enabled for better distinction of the 16SrII-D phytoplasmas that occur in Oman.