Detection of "Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris" associated with henon bamboo witches' broom in Korea

Witches' broom disease in bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra Munro var. henonis) was found in Yeoungyang, Korea. In transmission electron micrographs, phytoplasma-like bodies were detected in the phloem cells of diseased plants but not in those of healthy plants. The presence of phytoplasmas was confirmed by amplification of a 1.8-kb DNA fragment using a primer pair specific for the region containing a 16S rRNA gene and an intergenic spacer region between the 16S and 23S rRNA genes. Comparision of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the causal phytoplasma belongs to "Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris," and shared the highest degree of similarity with the sequence of the onion yellows (OY) isolate in Japan. This is the first phylogenetic identification of phytoplasma infection of bamboo in Korea.