Trivellone_ICE_2022_13minute_talk

Phytoplasmas are a diverse lineage of uncultured bacteria strictly associated with the phloem of
vascular plants and internal organs of hemipteran insects. Because phytoplasmas often cause severe diseases of economically important plants, study of their diversity and host (vector and plant) ranges has focused almost entirely on agroecosystems. Earlier studies reported that non-crop plants and insect vectors not associated with cultivated plants may serve as inoculum sources that enable phytoplasmas to persist locally through alternative transmission routes.  However, despite these efforts, new outbreaks involving previously known or new strains continue to occur regularly. Routes of transmission may involve bridge-vectors and a wider range of plant hosts in natural habitats interspersed with other habitat types. A few studies attempted to detect possible sources of inoculum in specific plants in forests and grasslands that surround crops to estimate the risk of emerging diseases. A better understanding of phytoplasma-associated plant diseases can be achieved by documenting phytoplasma-host associations in natural habitats and screening of potential vectors.