Morphological and Molecular Description of Phytophthora insolita Isolated from Citrus Orchard in India

Abstract

Citrus, an important cash crop in India, is adversely affected by Phytophthora nicotianae , P. palmivora, and P. citrophthora . Phytophthora insolita is known to be associated with citrus and reported for the first time in India. It is a rare and poorly characterized Phytophthora species, as its natural host and pathogenic impact are unclear. Previously, it was reported only in Taiwan and China; so to confirm our suspected isolate is P. insolita , regions of internal transcribed spacer, elongation factor, beta-tubulin, and cytochrome oxidase genes were sequenced. This study provides description of the lone Indian P. insolita isolate with respect to molecular identity, morphology, mating behaviour, and pathogenicity.