Abstract
In 1994 and 1995, hydrangea phyllody occurred in Tochigi, Shizuoka and Oita Prefectures, Japan. The affected plants (Hydrangea macrophylla and H. serrata) showed phyllody and proliferation of flower organs, as well as stunting and dieback. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of phytoplasmas in the phloem sieve elements of affected sepals and leaves. The phytoplasmas were transmitted to healthy Catharanthus roseus by graft inoculation. Using primers for 16S rDNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA fragments of 1.3 and 0.75kbp were amplified in DNA samples extracted from affected hydrangeas but not in those extracted from healthy plants. This is the first report on the occurrence of hydrangea phyllody in Japan.
