Candidatus Phytoplasma are small, parasitic bacteria that infect the phloem of plants and are transmitted by insect vectors. They lack cell walls and are classified under the domain Bacteria, phylum Firmicutes, class Mollicutes, order Acholeplasmatales, and family Acholeplasmataceae. Symptoms in infected plants include yellowing of leaves, stunted growth, sterile flowers, and conversion of floral parts into leafy structures. Several specific Candidatus Phytoplasma strains are described that cause diseases such as gingelly phyllody, jasmine phyllody, brinjal little leaf, sugarcane grassy shoot, coconut lethal yellowing, and

1. CANDIDATUS PHYTOPLASMA: CHARACTERS,
CLASSIFICATION AND SYMPTOMS
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
(Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-3)
Kullapuram (Po),ViaVaigai Dam, Theni-625 562
STUDENT
SARASWATHI S
DEEPAN S
COURSE TEACHER
Dr. PARTHASARATHY.S
Asst. Professor (Plant Pathology)

2. CHARACTERS:
 Free living, parasitic and saprophytic and reproduces by
budding and binary fussion.
 Cell contain cytoplasm, ribosome and nucleic acid devoid
of nuclear membrane .
 Generally present in the sap of a small number of
phloem sieve tubes.

3.  The candidatus phytoplasma is obligate symbionts of
plant and insects.
 Usually resistant to antibiotics like penicillin, cephaloridin
 Which acts on cell wall but they are sensitive to
tetracycline.
 Unicellular, gram positive, non motile, highly pleomorphic
and their size ranges from small, spherical bodies to
tubular to filamentous branched structures.

4. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Firmicutes
Class: Mollicutes
Order: Acholeplasmatales
Family: Acholeplasmataceae
Genus: Candidatus Phytoplasma

5. SYMPTOMS
• Gradual yellowing of leaves.
• Shortening of internode.
• Greening or sterility of flowers.
• Decline and death of plants.
• Stunting of plants.
• Reduction in size of leaves.

6.  Gingelly phyllody - Ca. Phytoplasma asteris
• Reduction in size of leaves.
• Shortening of internode .
• Conversion of floral parts into green leafy structures.
• Diseased plants become completely sterile.
• This disease is transmitted by leaf hopper

7. Gingelly phyllody - Ca. Phytoplasma asteris

8.  Jasmine phyllody – Ca. Phytoplasma aurantifolia
• Leaves turn yellow and reduction of leaf size
• Floral parts are converted into leaf like structures
• This disease is transmitted by whitefly

9. Jasmine phyllody - Ca. Phytoplasma aurantifolia

10.  Brinjal little leaf - Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii
Diseased plants produce small, narrow, thin, sessile, soft,
glabrous and pale green colour leaves in a shortened
internode.The plants look bushy due to the stimulation of
auxillary buds and are sterile.The disease transmitted by
leaf hopper.
•

11. Brinjal little leaf - Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii

12. Sugarcane grassy shoot – Ca.Phytoplasma oryzae
 This disease is otherwise called yellowing disease or bushy
disease.
 Profuse tillering and grassy appearance of the shoot are
The main symptoms. Small grass like leaves and canes
are thin with short internode. The vector is aphid.

13. Sugarcane grassy shoot – Ca.Phytoplasma oryzae

14.  Coconut lethal yellowing – Ca.Phytoplasma palmae
 The first symptom is the drooping of pre- matured nuts
of any size followed by blackening of inflorescence tip
and all male flowers.
 Then the lower leaves exhibit yellowing which progress
upward to the young one.
 Later the lower leaves die prematurely, turn brown and
cling to the tree while the young one become yellow.
 This disease is transmitted by plant hoppers.

15. Coconut lethal yellowing - Ca. Phytoplasma palmae

16.  Rice yellow dwarf - Ca. Phytoplasma oryzae
Affected plants become dwarf with pale green or yellow
narrow leaves and are sterile.

17. REFERENCE
D . Alice and C . Jeyalakshmi “ PLANT PATHOLOGY” ,
2011, A .E . Publication, Page No : 239-242

18. THANK YOU