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Title: Roles of Stolbur Phytoplasma and Reptalus Panzeri (Cixiinae, Auchenorrhyncha) in the Epidemiology of Maize Redness in Serbia

Author
item MILICEVIC, J - INST. PLANT PROT.&ENVIR.
item CVRKOVIC, T - IPPP
item MITROVIC, M - IPPP
item KRNJAJIC, S - IPPP
item Redinbaugh, Margaret
item PRATT, R - OSU
item Gingery, Roy
item HOGENHOUT, S - OSU
item TOSEVSKI, I - CABI BIOSCIENCE

Submitted to: European Journal of Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/25/2007
Publication Date: 5/1/2007
Citation: Milicevic, J., Cvrkovic, T., Mitrovic, M., Krnjajic, S., Redinbaugh, M.G., Pratt, R.C., Gingery, R.E., Hogenhout, S.A., Tosevski, I. 2007. Roles of Stolbur Phytoplasma and Reptalus Panzeri (Cixiinae, Auchenorrhyncha) in the Epidemiology of Maize Redness in Serbia. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 118:85-89.

Interpretive Summary: We showed that the stolbur phytoplasma pathogen is associated with a disease of corn called maize redness in the southern Banat region of Serbia. We also demonstrated that high populations of the insect Reptalus panzeri were present in fields that had the disease, and that this insect could transmit the pathogen to maize. These results confirmed the presence of the pathogen in diseased corn, and showed how the disease is likely to spread in the field. These results will be important for researchers investigating new ways to manage the disease in Serbia. This information will be useful for development of management strategies for maize redness disease in Serbia. It will also be useful for development of diagnostics for maize redness disease.

Technical Abstract: Maize redness (MR), a disease causing midrib, leaf and stalk reddening and abnormal ear development in maize, has been reported from Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria for 50 years. Recent epiphytotics reduced yields by 40-90% in southern Banat, Serbia. MR was recently associated with the presence of the stolbur phytoplasma (Duduk & Bertaccini Plant Dis. 90: 1313), although the epidemiology of the disease remained unknown. Diseased fields in southern Banat were surveyed for potential vectors of the phytoplasma during 2005 and 2006, and high populations of Reptalus panzeri were found. In affected fields, 20% of the R. panzeri individuals and 85% of symptomatic maize plants carried the stolbur phytoplasma. When stolbur phytoplasma-infected R. panzeri were introduced into insect-free mesh cages containing healthy maize plants, midrib and leaf reddening developed on 48% of plants and stolbur phytoplasma was detected in 90% of the symptomatic plants. No symptoms or phytoplasma-positive plants were found in cages without insects. These data indicate that MR symptoms are associated with the stolbur phytoplasma. R. panzeri is both abundant in affected fields and can transmit the stolbur phytoplasma, indicating the insect is likely to be a major vector of MR.