Aster yellows

EN Texto en inglés Aún no hay artículo en tu idioma: extracto en inglés.

Aster yellows is a chronic, systemic plant disease caused by several bacteria called phytoplasma. The aster yellows phytoplasma (AYP) affects 300 species in 38 families of broad-leaf herbaceous plants, primarily in the aster family, and important cereal crops such as wheat and barley. Symptoms are variable and can include phyllody, virescence, chlorosis, stunting, and sterility of flowers. The aster leafhopper vector, Macrosteles quadrilineatus, moves the aster yellows phytoplasma from plant to plant. Its economic burden is primarily felt in the carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus) crop and the nursery industries. No cure is known for plants infected with aster yellows. Infected plants should be removed immediately to limit the spread of the phytoplasma to other susceptible plants. However, in agricultural settings such as carrot fields, some applications of chemical insecticides have proven to minimize the infection rate by killing the vector. Aster yellows affect many plant species, including native plants, annual flowering plants, ornamentals, weeds, and vegetable crops. The largest family affected is the Asteraceae, and ornamental plants commonly infected are asters, marigolds, coreopsis, sunflowers, and purple coneflower.