On the apple proliferation symptom display and the canopy colonization pattern of “Candidatus Phytoplasma mali” in apple trees

Notwithstanding the availability of several different real time PCR protocols for "Candidatus Phytoplasma mali", it is still unclear how informative is the estimation of the concentration of phytoplasma cells in the leaves of apple proliferation infected trees, and how the reliability of the estimations may be affected by an erratic and uneven distribution of the pathogen in the host. Here we investigated these issues systematically and showed that phytoplasma concentration varies significantly among seasons, but not between two cultivars that appeared to have different degree of susceptibility on the basis of the symptoms displayed. In fully symptomatic trees sampled at the end of the season the phytoplasmas were detectable in most leaves, but in more than half of the leaves at low concentrations. Both the pattern of colonization of the canopy and the amount of phytoplasmas varied greatly in trees that show symptom remission, although a direct relation between symptom severity and colonization could not be established. The sampling of the apple canopy for the purpose of evaluation of concentration of "Candidatus Phytoplasma mali" should take into consideration the complex pattern of colonization and seasonal variation.