Determination of the molecular group and incidence of phytoplasma infection on eggplant grown in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. Arab Journal of Plant Protection,

Abstract

The eggplant, Solanum melongena L. is one of the ancient crops currently cultivated worldwide, for its fruits used in cooking. It is considered one of the most important vegetable crops in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. A field survey was conducted in 2022 across eight eggplant fields located in Tel Aran, Al-Safira and Al-Hader, from which 22 plant samples suspected of phytoplasma infection were collected. Phytoplasma was detected by nested PCR and the molecular group was identified using PCR-RFLP analysis using six different endonuclease restriction enzymes. The average infection rate in Al-Safira fields was 2.7%, while the rate was 1% in both Tel Aran and Al-Hader regions. PCR results confirmed that all collected samples tested positive for phytoplasma. Based on enzymatic digestion patterns and comparison with the revised RFLP classification scheme for the 16S rDNA gene, the detected phytoplasma was identified as Pigeon pea witches’-broom phytoplasma, which belong to the 16SrIX group and the 16SrIX-A subgroup. This study represents the first report of this phytoplasma group infecting eggplant in Syria.

Keywords:

Eggplant, witches-broom, 16S rDNA, PCR-RFLP.