Salix babylonica: a new host of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi'

In a survey in 2020, Salix babylonica trees displaying symptoms of phyllody, little leaves, and dieback were observed in Xinjiang province of China. Nested PCRs carried out using universal primer pairs for 16 S rRNA and tuf genes, detected the presence of phytoplasmas in symptomatic trees, while no amplification was found in symptomless trees. Blastn and phylogenetic analyses showed that detected phytoplasmas belong to the species 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi', ribosomal subgroup 16SrV-B. This is the first report of S. babylonica as plant host of 'Ca. Phytoplasma ziziphi', associated with phyllody disease in China.

Automated summary

In a survey conducted in 2020, symptoms of phyllody disease, including little leaves and dieback, were observed in Salix babylonica trees in Xinjiang province of China. Phytoplasmas belonging to the species 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi', ribosomal subgroup 16SrV-B, were detected in symptomatic trees using nested PCRs with specific primer pairs for 16S rRNA and tuf genes. No amplification was found in symptomless trees. This is the first report of 'Ca. Phytoplasma ziziphi' infecting S. babylonica and causing phyllody disease in China.