Haplaxius crudus transmission of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma palmae’ to coconut seedlings in Cuba

Lethal yellowing comprises the coconut lethal yellowing as one of the most important diseases affecting coconut plantations worldwide. In Cuba, it was associated predominantly with phytoplasmas of the group 16SrIV detected in symptomatic coconut palms but in some cases, these phytoplasmas were in mixed infection with phytoplasmas from other ribosomal groups. During recent surveys to verify the phytoplasma presence, Haplaxius crudus leafhoppers were predominantly found in the coconut agrosystems of the western region of Cuba, where coconut plantations are mainly located. Two transmission tests were carried out to determine the phytoplasma transmission by H. crudus under Cuba conditions. Coconut seedlings showed leaf yellowing 10 month after the insect inoculation and their associated pool of insects tested positive for ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma palmae’ presence. Virtual RFLP, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the phytoplasma identity and the first experimental H. crudus transmission of ‘Ca. P. palmae’ to coconut seedlings in Cuba.