Ultrastructural study of hydrangea leaf tissue infected by mycoplasma-like organisms

Hydrangea plants (florists' hydrangea) (Hydrangea macrophylla (Thumb.) D.C.) cultivated in greenhouses of the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy, were found to be infected by mycoplasma-like organisms (MLOs). The symptoms were virescence, phyllody of the flowers and vein-yellowing. Since MLOs have be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytopathologia mediterranea 1990-01, Vol.29 (2), p.168-174
Main Authors: Pisi, A, Bellardi, M G, Rizzi, E, Scala, C, Filippini, G
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Hydrangea plants (florists' hydrangea) (Hydrangea macrophylla (Thumb.) D.C.) cultivated in greenhouses of the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy, were found to be infected by mycoplasma-like organisms (MLOs). The symptoms were virescence, phyllody of the flowers and vein-yellowing. Since MLOs have been already found infecting hydrangea, our present work was undertaken to study transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscope MLOs, in an attempt to determine in more details their morphology. The electron microscopy techniques utilized were: Spurr's resin embedded plant material processed for TEM and SEM; acrylic embedded plant material processed for TEM and SEM; blocks of plant material processed for SEM. MLOs were found in thin, semi-thin sections as well as in blocks of infected hydrangea phloem tissue observed at TEM and SEM. MLOs appeared mostly round and concentrated only in the sieve tubes. Filamentous, branched and beaded forms were also detected in the same cells.
ISSN:0031-9465