Association of Bacterialike Organisms With a New Potato Disease

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Abstract
A new disease of potatoes, termed leaflet stunt, is described. The disease, which has so far been found only in Israel, is characterized mainly by deformation and stunting of leaflets. Bacterialike bodies were found only in phloem cells of infected plants, but not in healthy plants. Each body is bounded by 2 sets of membranes. In transverse section these bodies have a spherical shape, but when sectioned longitudinally rod-shaped particles measuring 1.0-2.40 .times. 0.2 -0.3.mu.m are discerned. Beaded forms enclosed by a plasma membrane are sometimes detected inside the particle. Unlkie most bacterialike organisms recently claimed to cause yellows type diseases in trees or grapevines, the outer membranous wall of the organism found in phloem cells of infected potatoes is generally thin and unrippled. According to its ultrastructure, the organism found in infected potatoes resembles the clover-club leaf pathogen rather than those of 4 other plant diseases, in which xylem but not phloem tissues are claimed to be inhabited by the suspected causal organisms.

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