Phytoplasma cultivation: State of the art

The possibility to grow on artificial media phytoplasmas isolated from micropropagated infected periwinkle shoots and from field-infected tissues is a recent achievement. Isolation and cultivation together with biochemical and biological characterization of some phytoplasmas was consistently obtained. Colonies of phytoplasmas belonging to diverse ribosomal groups were obtained such as those related to a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’- related isolate from cassava plants with frog skin diseased, ‘Ca. P. asteris’ and ‘Ca. P. solani’ from diverse infected host plants such as grapevine and coconut palms. Antisera production and their preliminary diagnostic use was also achieved for some of these isolates. Further phytoplasmas were also isolated in liquid and solid media from date palm and citrus tissues. Seed transmission in corn of aster yellows phytoplasmas was confirmed by isolation from seedlings of viable phytoplasma cells.