Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i>
<i>Spiroplasma citri</i>, a bacterium from the class Mollicutes, is the causative agent of citrus stubborn disease, a serious threat to Moroccan citrus crops, with yield losses reaching 45%. Despite its long-standing presence since 1949 and regulations mandating disease-free citrus plant...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/216 |
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| author | Tourya Sagouti Ikram Legrifi Naima Rhallabi Zineb Belabess Moussa El Jarroudi Said Amiri Essaid Ait Barka Abdessalem Tahiri Rachid Lahlali |
| author_facet | Tourya Sagouti Ikram Legrifi Naima Rhallabi Zineb Belabess Moussa El Jarroudi Said Amiri Essaid Ait Barka Abdessalem Tahiri Rachid Lahlali |
| author_sort | Tourya Sagouti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Spiroplasma citri</i>, a bacterium from the class Mollicutes, is the causative agent of citrus stubborn disease, a serious threat to Moroccan citrus crops, with yield losses reaching 45%. Despite its long-standing presence since 1949 and regulations mandating disease-free citrus plants, data on <i>S. citri</i> in Morocco remain scarce. This study investigates the pathogenicity and symptom variability of Moroccan <i>S. citri</i> isolates using biological indexing and genetic mapping based on the <i>Spiralin</i> and <i>P58</i> genes. Biological indexing through reverse inoculation revealed that seven out of ten isolates caused moderate to intense symptoms within 8 to 10 weeks, with symptom severity varying across citrus cultivars and regions. These findings suggest variations in pathogen titer. Molecular analysis showed that Moroccan isolates (27GH, 3GH, 8GH, 56MK, 16MK, 60MK, 2GLK, 13SS, and 30S1) exhibited complete (100%) sequence similarity with each other and the reference strain R2-A8. Furthermore, these isolates displayed a high degree of similarity (99.75%) to a Corsican isolate (U13995) and a 94% similarity to an Iranian isolate (KP666137). Analysis of the <i>P58</i> gene confirmed a high level of homogeneity with Moroccan reference strain R8-A2, closely aligning (99.75%) with the American BR3-3X strain, and 98% similarity to isolates from Syria and Iran. This study lays a foundational insight into the molecular characterization of <i>S. citri</i> in Morocco and provides a groundwork for future research into managing citrus stubborn disease. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cfc5306a5afa4f7d8b0b392ce1e85de4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-cfc5306a5afa4f7d8b0b392ce1e85de42025-01-24T13:17:13ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115121610.3390/agronomy15010216Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i>Tourya Sagouti0Ikram Legrifi1Naima Rhallabi2Zineb Belabess3Moussa El Jarroudi4Said Amiri5Essaid Ait Barka6Abdessalem Tahiri7Rachid Lahlali8Phytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Km 10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, MoroccoPhytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Km 10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, MoroccoLaboratory of Physical Chemistry and Biotechnology of Biomolecules and Materials, Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Mohammadia (FSTM), Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia 20650, MoroccoPlant Protection Laboratory, Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Meknes, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Km 13, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP 578, Meknes 50001, MoroccoWater, Environment and Development Unit, SPHERES Research Unit, Department of Environmental Sciences and Management, University of Liège, 6700 Arlon, BelgiumPhytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Km 10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, MoroccoInduced Resistance and Plant Biosection Research Unit-EA 4707-USC INRAE1488, Reims Champagne-Ardenne University, 51687 Reims, FrancePhytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Km 10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, MoroccoPhytopathology Unit, Department of Plant Protection, Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknès, Km 10, Rte Haj Kaddour, BP S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco<i>Spiroplasma citri</i>, a bacterium from the class Mollicutes, is the causative agent of citrus stubborn disease, a serious threat to Moroccan citrus crops, with yield losses reaching 45%. Despite its long-standing presence since 1949 and regulations mandating disease-free citrus plants, data on <i>S. citri</i> in Morocco remain scarce. This study investigates the pathogenicity and symptom variability of Moroccan <i>S. citri</i> isolates using biological indexing and genetic mapping based on the <i>Spiralin</i> and <i>P58</i> genes. Biological indexing through reverse inoculation revealed that seven out of ten isolates caused moderate to intense symptoms within 8 to 10 weeks, with symptom severity varying across citrus cultivars and regions. These findings suggest variations in pathogen titer. Molecular analysis showed that Moroccan isolates (27GH, 3GH, 8GH, 56MK, 16MK, 60MK, 2GLK, 13SS, and 30S1) exhibited complete (100%) sequence similarity with each other and the reference strain R2-A8. Furthermore, these isolates displayed a high degree of similarity (99.75%) to a Corsican isolate (U13995) and a 94% similarity to an Iranian isolate (KP666137). Analysis of the <i>P58</i> gene confirmed a high level of homogeneity with Moroccan reference strain R8-A2, closely aligning (99.75%) with the American BR3-3X strain, and 98% similarity to isolates from Syria and Iran. This study lays a foundational insight into the molecular characterization of <i>S. citri</i> in Morocco and provides a groundwork for future research into managing citrus stubborn disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/216stubborn<i>Spiroplasma citri</i>citrusR2 mediumbiological indexingbiological characterization |
| spellingShingle | Tourya Sagouti Ikram Legrifi Naima Rhallabi Zineb Belabess Moussa El Jarroudi Said Amiri Essaid Ait Barka Abdessalem Tahiri Rachid Lahlali Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> Agronomy stubborn <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> citrus R2 medium biological indexing biological characterization |
| title | Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> |
| title_full | Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> |
| title_fullStr | Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> |
| title_short | Biological and Molecular Characterization of Moroccan Isolates of <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> |
| title_sort | biological and molecular characterization of moroccan isolates of i spiroplasma citri i |
| topic | stubborn <i>Spiroplasma citri</i> citrus R2 medium biological indexing biological characterization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/216 |
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