Molecular Typing of ' Phytoplasma solani' in Iranian Vineyards.

Grapevine ( L.) is one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran, with >200,000 ha of cultivated area. Recently, outbreaks of the grapevine yellows Bois noir that is associated with phytoplasma strains related to ' Phytoplasma solani' were recorded in several Iranian regions. This has resulted in severe economic losses. We carried out a survey in 2015, followed by collection of leaf samples from symptomatic grapevines and weeds. Because no information is available on the molecular epidemiology of ' P. solani' in Iran, multiple gene analyses were carried out here according to molecular characterization of the and 1 genes. From the molecular characterization, all of the samples (i.e., grapevines, weeds) were infected with b type. Detailed molecular characterization of the 1 gene (i.e., PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, sequence analysis) defined five molecular types: V1, V4, V10, V15, and V20. The abundance of in vineyards and detection of the same '. P. solani' molecular types in grapevines and weeds suggest that has a major role in Bois noir epidemiology of Iranian vineyards. Therefore, control strategies should be developed to manage these host plants to reduce inoculum sources of the phytoplasma in vineyards.