First report of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia' related strain associated with opium poppy phyllody and stunting in India

During a survey performed in opium fields grown at Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology (ANDUAT), Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India in March 2021, symptoms of phyllody and stunting were observed on opium plants. The association of phytoplasmas was confirmed in all the symptomatic opium samples by using PCR of 16S rRNA and secA genes sequences. Association of a 'Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia' related strain was confirmed by 16S rRNA and secA gene sequence comparison analysis. Virtual RFLP analysis of similar to 1.25 kb product of 16S rRNA gene sequences using the iPhyClassifier tool further classified the opium phytoplasma isolate into the 16SrII-D subgroup. This is the first report on identification of a phytoplasma disease in opium in world.

Automated summary

During a survey, phyllody and stunting symptoms were observed on opium plants at Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology (ANDUAT), Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India in March 2021. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of phytoplasmas in all symptomatic opium samples, and comparison of gene sequences identified a strain related to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia'. Virtual RFLP analysis further classified the opium phytoplasma isolate into the 16SrII-D subgroup. This is the first report of identifying a phytoplasma disease in opium worldwide.