Punta morada de la papa, Marchitez letal de la palma aceitera y Síndrome de cuello virado de la papaya: enfermedades asociadas a fitoplasmas en Ecuador

Phytoplasma are wall-less bacteria limited to the phloem vessels in higher plants. Diseases associated with phytoplasma, in the past, have not been a serious problem in Ecuador. Nevertheless, for climate change effects, their importance has been increasing suddenly. This research was focused on the detection of phytoplasma using nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), in potato ( Solanum tuberosum L. ), oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis ), and papaya ( Carica papaya L. ) plants. Phytoplasma -specific PCR amplifications were generated by nested PCR in 50% samples of Twisted neck syndrome in papaya, 38% potato samples showing Purple top symptoms, and in all the samples showing symptoms of Lethal wilt of oil palm.  A continual increase in the incidence of Potato purple top was observed, and there is a high risk of contamination in the southern production zones of the country. In potato, results of this study are more closely related to Candidatus Phytoplasma subgroup 16SrI. Lethal wilt continues to be a major threat to oil palm production. In papaya, members of the group 16SrXIII-E produce a disease similar as reported in this study. Keywords: Candidatus Phytoplasma, crop production, nested PCR