Deteksi Molekuler dan Uji Penularan Fitoplasma Asal Rumput Bermuda

Abstract

Phytoplasmas, previously called as mycoplasma-like organism (MLO), are plant pathogenic prokaryotes of Mollicutes associated with diseases of several plants such as Bermuda grass white leaf disease. PCR technique employing phyfoplasma specific PlP7 primers revealed that phytoplasmas were associated with diseased Bermuda grass, showing white leaf symptom, from three locations in Bogor. Based on PCR-RFLP pattern using Alul, Rsal, and Msel restriction enzymes, the infected grasses from the three locations were infected by the same phytoplasmas. Transmission studies of the phytoplasma with four kinds of leafhoppers indicated that only two kinds of the leafhoppers Deltocephalinae: Stenometopiini were able to transmit the pathogen, while the other two were not. The two vectors were also positively detected to contain phytoplasmas after previously fed on diseased Bermuda grass by PCR technique.