Abstract
Catharanthus roseus L. (G.) Don., an important medicinal plant, is a susceptible host of phytoplasma. An attempt was made to obtain phytoplasma-free plants employing in vitro chemotherapy. Plants showing reduction in the size of leaves with pal e-gre en or yellow col our and virescence of flowers were the source of tissue culture experiment. Shoot tips excised from phytoplasma-infected plants grew optimally in Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with kinetin (2.0 mg l−1), 6-benzyl aminopurine (0.75 mg l−1) and indole-3-butyric acid (0.1 mg l−1). Phytoplasma-infected shoot-tip explants, maintained on MS medium, were subjected to different concentration of oxytetracycline (25–100 mg l−1) for 2 weeks and then transferred to antibiotic-free medium for six subsequent serial transfers. Established shoot cultures, with newly emerged shoots showing no phytoplasma symptoms were selected and subcultured for the induction of roots. An oxytetracycline concentration of 75 mg l−1 was optimal for freeing phytoplasma from the infected tissues. About 50% of regenerated plants were phytoplasma free as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, and they remained healthy for more than 3 years.
Zusammenfassung
Catharanthus roseus L., (G.) Don., das Madagaskar-Immergrün, ist eine wertvolle Heilpflanze und häufig stark mit Phytoplasmen infiziert. Die Gewinnung phytoplasmenfreier Pflanzen wurde mit Hilfe einer in-vitro-Chemotherapie versucht. Pflanzen mit verminderter Blattgröße und hellgrüner oder gelber Blattfarbe sowie Blütenvergrünung dienten als Ausgangsmaterial. Sprossspitzen phytoplasmainfizierter Pflanzen wuchsen optimal auf Murashige-Skoog (MS)-Medium mit Kinetin (2 mg l−1), 6-Benzyl-Aminopurin (0,75 mg l−1) und Indol-3-Buttersäure (0,1 mg l−1). Auf MS-Medium kultivierte phytoplasmainfizierte Sprossspitzen wurden nach einer Behandlung mit Oxytetracyclin unterschiedlicher Konzentration (25–100 mg l−1) sechsmal nacheinander auf antibiotikafreies Medium übertragen. Etablierte Sprossspitzenkulturen mit neugebildeten, symptomlosen Sprossen wurden zur Wurzelbildung weiter kultiviert. Eine Oxytretracyclin-Konzentration 75 mg l−1 erwies sich als optimal für die Gewinnung phytoplasmenfreier Pflanzen aus infiziertem Gewebe. Eine Polymerase-Kettenreaktion zeigte, dass etwa 50% der regenerierten Pflanzen frei von Phytoplasmen waren; sie blieben mehr als drei Jahre gesund.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature
Ahrens, U., E. Seemüller, 1992: Detection of DNA of plant pathogenic mycoplasma-like organism by a polymerase chain reaction that amplifies a sequence of the 16S rRNA gene. Phytopathology 82, 828–832.
Chalak, L., A. Elbitar, R. Rizk, E. Choueiri, P. Salar, J. M. Bove, 2005: Attempts to eliminate Candidatus phytoplasma phoe-nicum from infected Lebanese almond varieties by tissue culture techniques combined or not with thermotherapy. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 112, 85–89.
Converse, R. H., R. A. George, 1987: Elimination of mycoplas-ma-like organisms in Cabot highbush blueberry with high-carbon dioxide thermotherapy. Plant Dis. 71, 36–38.
Dai, Q., F.-T. He, P.-Y. Liu, 1997: Elimination of phytoplasma by stem culture from mulberry plants (Morus alba) with dwarf disease. Plant Pathol. 46, 56–61.
Dai, Q., Z. H. Sun, 1995: Suppressive effects of n-triacontanol on symptoms of mulberry dwarf disease and on the causal phytoplasma. Plant Pathol. 44, 979–981.
Davies, D. L., R. F. Whitecomb, R.L. Steere, 1968: Remission of aster yellow disease by antibiotics. Science 161, 793–795.
Davies, D.L., M.F. Clark, 1994: Maintenance of mycoplas-ma-like organisms occurring in Pyrus species by microprop-agation and their elimination by tetracycline therapy. Plant Pathol. 43, 819–823.
Deng, S., C. Hiruki, 1991: Amplification of 16cS rDNA genes from culturable and non-cultutable Mollecutes. J. Microbiol. Methods 14, 53–61.
Doi, Y., M. Teranaka, K. Yora, H. Asuyama, 1967: Mycoplasma-or PLT group-like microorganisms found in the phloem elements of plants infected with mulberry dwarf, potato witches’ broom, aster yellows, or paulownia witches’ broom. Ann. Phytopathol. Soc. Japan 33, 267–275.
Gong, Z.X., 1990: Prevention and cure of phytoplasma-like diseases in plants. In: Gong, Z.X., J.Y. Chen, J.Y. Shen (eds.): A Collection of Illustrative Plates of Plant Mycoplasma-Like Organisms in China, pp 38–48. Beijing Science Press, Beijing.
Lee, I.-M., R.E. Davis, D. E. Gundersen, 2000: Phytoplasma: phy-toplasmagenic mollecutes. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 54, 221–255.
McCoy, R.E., A. Caudwell, C.J. Chang, T.A. Chen, L.N. Chiykowski, M.T. Cousin, J.L. Dale, G.T.N. De Leeuw, D.A. Golino, K.J. Hackett, B.C. Kirkpatrick, R. Marwitz, H. Petzold, R.C. Sinha, M. Sugiura, R.F. Whitcomb, I.L. Yang, B.M. Zhu, E. Seemüller, 1989; Plant diseases associated with mycoplas-ma-like organisms. In: Whitcomb, R.F., Tully, J.G. (eds.). The Mycoplasma, pp. 545–640. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
Möllers, C., S. Sarkar, 1989: Regeneration of healthy plants from Catharanthus roseus infected with mycoplasma-like organisms through callus culture. Plant Sci. 60, 83–89.
Murashige, T., F. Skoog, 1962: A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco culture. Physiol. Plant. 15, 473–497.
Nakashima, K., W. Chaleeprom, P. Wongkaew, P. Sirithorn, 1994: Detection of mycoplasma-like organisms associated with white leaf disease of sugarcane in Thialand using DNA probes. JIRCAS J. 1, 57–67.
Nakashima, K., P. Wongkaew, W. Chaleeprom, P. Sirithorn, T. Hayashi, 1999: Molecular detection and characterization of phytoplasmas that cause sugarcane white leaf disease. JIRCAS J. 7, 1–17.
Parmessur, Y., S. Aljanabi, S. Saumtally, A. Dookun-Saumtally, 2002: Sugarcane yellow leaf virus and sugarcane yellows phytoplasma: elimination by tissue culture. Plant Pathol. 51, 561–566.
Sears, B.B., K.L. Klomparens, 1989: Leaf tip cultures of the evening primrose allow stable aseptic culture of mycoplas-ma-like organism. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 11, 343–348.
Seemüller, E., C. Macrone, U. Lauer, A. Ragozzino, M. Goschi, 1998: Current status of molecular classification of the phytoplasmas. J. Plant Pathol. 80, 3–26.
Smart, C.D., B. Schneider, C.L. Blomquist, L.J. Guerra, N.A. Harrison, U. Ahrens, K.H. Loren, E. Seemüller, B.C. Kirkpatrick, 1996: Phytoplasma specific PCR primers based upon sequences of the 16–23S rRNA spacer region. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62, 2988–2993.
Svoboda, G.H., D.A. Blake, 1975: The phytochemistry and pharmacology of Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don. In: W.I. Taylor, N.R. Farnsworth (eds.): The Catharanthus Alkaloids: Botany, Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Clinical Use, pp. 45–83. Marcel Dekker, New York.
Wongkaew, P., 1999: Sugarcane white leaf disease and control strategies. Thailand Research Fund. T. & R. Celeca, Bangkok.
Wongkaew, P., J. Fletcher, 2004: Sugarcane white leaf phyto-plasma in tissue culture: long-term maintenance, transmission, and oxytetracycline remission. Plant Cell. Rep. 23, 426–434.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Singh, S.K., Aminuddin, Srivastava, P. et al. Production of phytoplasma-free plants from yellow leaf diseased Catharanthus roseus L. (G.) Don. J Plant Dis Prot 114, 2–5 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03356195
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03356195