First report of phytoplasma infection in olive trees (Olea europea L)

In the Sarca valley (Trento, north Italy) the presence of olive trees (Olea Europea L.) with yellow symptoms in a few branches was observed. Some leaves showed diffuse chlorotic mottling affecting almost all the blade, while others showed mottling with green and yellow areas; leaf deformation was also sometimes present. Phytoplasmas were only detected in olive trees with yellow leaves by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The results obtained suggested a high similarity between this phytoplasma and the elm yellows phytoplasma. This is the first time that a phytoplasma has been reported in the genus Olea.