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.