Psyllid vectors of the phytoplasma AP (16SrX) group in Turkey

BGPI : équipe 6; A survey was conducted in 2010 and 2011 in order to determine the presence of known vectors of apple proliferation group phytoplasmas (16SrX), namely ‘CandidatusPhytoplasma prunorum’, ‘Ca. P. mali’ and ‘Ca. P. pyri’, in different plants hosts (wild plums, conifers, and/or orchard trees). individuals were collected from Prunus spinosa, some other Prunus Abies spp. from different provinces of Turkey. Molecular typing based on COI genes and an ITS region indicated that all individuals were from the species B. ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ infection rate in overwintered adults of C. pruni was estimated as 4.70%. Phytoplasma infection rate in new generation adults of C. prunicollected only from Mersin province was estimated as 4.64%. Psyllids, collected from wild and cultured forms of pome fruit trees, were identified as C. picta, C. melanoneura, C. affinis, C. crataegi, C. pyrisuga, C. pyriand C. pyricola according to their morphological characters. The most common psyllid among the collected ones, C. picta, was infected with ‘Ca.P. mali’ with the ratio of 4.36%, but one sample was infected by ‘Ca. P. prunorum’. C. crataegi individuals collected from hawthorn were also infected by ‘Ca.P. mali’ (2.90%). C. melanoneuraand C. affiniswere infected by ‘Ca. P. pyri’ with respectively a ratio of 3.63% and 2.27%, and never by ‘Ca. P. mali’. The psyllid C. pyriwere found positive for ‘Ca. P. pyri’ (2.75%). The individuals of the species C. pyrisugaand C. pyricolawere negative for phytoplasma presence.These preliminary data indicated that, C. pruni, the main vector of ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ is prevalent in the country. The main vector of ‘Ca.P. pyri’ was C. pyri, and C. pictamight be the main vector of ‘Ca. P. mali’ Experimental transmission assays by using these vectors are in progress