Phytoplasmas are a group of obligate vector-borne bacterial parasites exclusively associated with hemipteran insects and vascular plants. Phytoplasma diseases cause large amount of economic losses and much research focuses on mitigating the damages caused by phytoplasma diseases on economically important crops.
This project is funded by NSF (Grant # 2244871) focuses on the detection and characterization of phytoplasmas in DNA extracted from insect specimens (primarily Hemiptera Auchenorrhyncha) preserved in museum collections to improve our understanding of the diversity, distribution and ecological associations of these bacteria. By screening a large collection of insect specimens, this project aims to uncover the true diversity of phytoplasmas, reconstruct their evolutionary relationships, and document their associations with potential insect vectors using modern DNA sequencing techniques and by revisioning large available literature.