Identification of Maize Viruses and Mollicutes and Their Potential Insect Vectors in Peru

Abstract

We thank William Styer, Marian Coffey, Lakshman Negi, and Julie Yee for assistance in identifying pathogens; D. M. Joshi for purifying they -globulins for the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Dwight M. DeLong, Charles Triplehorn, and Lois O'Brien for insect identification; E. J. Guthrie for supplying antiserum to maize stripe virus; C. L. Niblett for antiserum to maize chlorotic mottle virus; and R. E. Whitmoyer, Elke Kretzschmar, and Fran Butts of the Service Electron Microscope Laboratory of the OARDC for assistance in identifying the morphology of particles from centrifuged sucrose gradients. We especially thank Ricardo Sevilla P.

Surveys reveal the occurrence of phytoplasmas in plants at different geographical locations in Peru

“…Many of these crops are potentially prone to infection by phytoplasmas, but the only previous records of phytoplasmas in Peru have been the observation of maize bushy stunt‐like symptoms in maize from one location north of Lima (Nault et al , 1979) and an association with virescence in the ornamental Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus (Schneider et al , 1993; Lee et al , 2004). However, in neighbouring countries, 16SrI aster yellows phytoplasmas have been recorded in potato in Bolivia (Jones et al , 2005 a ) and in maize in Brazil (Bedendo et al , 1997, 2000; De Oliveira et al , 2002), where the vector has been identified as the leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis , and this vector species has also been found in Peru (Nault et al , 1979).…”

“…Many of these crops are potentially prone to infection by phytoplasmas, but the only previous records of phytoplasmas in Peru have been the observation of maize bushy stunt‐like symptoms in maize from one location north of Lima (Nault et al , 1979) and an association with virescence in the ornamental Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus (Schneider et al , 1993; Lee et al , 2004). However, in neighbouring countries, 16SrI aster yellows phytoplasmas have been recorded in potato in Bolivia (Jones et al , 2005 a ) and in maize in Brazil (Bedendo et al , 1997, 2000; De Oliveira et al , 2002), where the vector has been identified as the leafhopper, Dalbulus maidis , and this vector species has also been found in Peru (Nault et al , 1979). Aster yellows phytoplasmas have been found in other crops such as alfalfa in Bolivia (Jones et al , 2005 b ), and 16SrIII group phytoplasmas have been reported in chinaberry trees ( Melia azedarach ) in Bolivia (Harrison et al , 2003); coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) (Galvis et al , 2007) and cassava ( Manihot esculenta ) (Álvarez et al , 2007) in Colombia; and chayote ( Sechium edule ) (Montano et al , 2000) and tomato (Mello et al , 2006) in Brazil.…”

Maize bushy stunt phytoplasma affects native corn at high elevations in Southeast Mexico

“…Further studies identified the phytoplasma associated with MBS as a 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris'-related strain belonging to the 16SrI-B subgroup (Lee et al 1993(Lee et al , 2004. MBS phytoplasma (MBSP) was also detected in Peru (Nault et al 1979;Hodgetts et al 2009), Nicaragua (Hruska et al 1996), Costa Rica , Belize (Henríquez et al 1999), Brazil (Bedendo et al 1997), and Colombia (Alvarez et al 2014). In all countries MBSP was identified as a member of the 16SrI-B subgroup but was never reported as affecting a native variety.…”

Comparison of Fecundity and Body Size of Mexican and Argentinian Populations of Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)

“…It is found from southeastern and southwestern United States to Argentina, generally below 1,000-m elevation (Triplehorn and Nault 1985). Although the corn leafhopper prefers to live at low elevations (Ͻ1,000 m), it is found in a wide range of elevations on its maize host from sea level to as high as 3,200 m in the Peruvian Andes (Nault et al 1979). This species evolved in central Mexico (17Ð21Њ N) when maize was Þrst domesticated from its teosinte relative (Nault 1990), the annual teosinte Zea mays ssp.…”