EPPO-QBank a useful tool for phytoplasma identification

The EPPO-QBank (https://qbank.eppo.int/) is a dynamic open-access database supported by EPPO containing sequence data, morphological data including photographs, nomenclatural and diagnostic data on plant pathogenic quarantine organisms and look-alikes (fungi, bacteria, arthropods, viruses, phytoplasmas, nematodes and invasive plants). The tool supports national and international plant health policies. Data are curated by an international network of curators and samples are available from publicly accessible reference collections. The EPPO-QBank Phytoplasmas (https://qbank.eppo.int/phytoplasmas/) database contains DNA sequence data (barcodes) of nearly 150 strains from 49 ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ species and one phytoplasma, including those of quarantine importance to Europe and their relatives. Currently, the database contains curated sequence data for members of the 'Ca. P. allocasuarinae', 'Ca. P. americanum', 'Ca. Phytoplasma asteris', 'Ca. P. aurantifolia=citri', 'Ca. P. australasiae=australasiaticum', 'Ca. P. australiense', ‘Ca. P. balanitae', 'Ca. P. brasiliense', 'Ca. P. caricae', 'Ca. P. castaneae', 'Ca. P. cirsii', 'Ca. P. cocostanzaniae’, 'Ca. P. convolvuli', 'Ca. P. costaricanum', 'Ca. P. cynodontis', 'Ca. P. dypsidis', 'Ca. P. fragariae', 'Ca. P. fraxini', 'Ca. P. graminis', 'Ca. P. hispanicum', 'Ca. P. japonicum', 'Ca. P. luffae', 'Ca. P. lycopersici', 'Ca. P. malaysianum', 'Ca. P. mali', 'Ca. P. meliae', 'Ca. P. noviguineense', 'Ca. P. omanense', 'Ca. P. oryzae', 'Ca. P. phoenicium', 'Ca. P. pini', 'Ca. P. pruni', 'Ca. P. prunorum', 'Ca. P. pyri', 'Ca. P. rhamni', 'Ca. P. rubi', 'Ca. P. sacchari', 'Ca. P. solani', 'Ca. P. spartii', 'Ca. P. stylosanthis', 'Ca. P. sudamericanum', 'Ca. P. tamaricis', 'Ca. P. trifolii', 'Ca. P. tritici', 'Ca. P. ulmi', 'Ca. P. wodyetiae', 'Ca. P. ziziphi', ‘Ca. P. palmae', ‘Ca. P. palmicola’ and “grapevine flavescence dorée” phytoplasma. The present list of included ‘Ca. Phytoplasma’ species covers as much genetic variation as possible of properly documented strains that are linked to culture-collections, in almost all cases. Among the above phytoplasmas, 7 are presently in the A1 list since they were never detected in the EPPO region. When available, next to sequence data on host plant, location of collection, and collector are included. Detailed protocols for barcoding detection of phytoplasmas using 16S rRNA and tuf genes are provided on the website, hyperlinked to associated publications, where applicable. Several search options are available. Search parameters supplied include searching on any text field and on phytoplasma ‘Candidatus species’ name or ribosomal group. Within the website, it is possible for the user to add additional search criteria through the “add condition” menu item. Phytoplasmas can be identified by single and preferably multilocus sequence analyses, currently using tuf and 16S rRNA gene sequences. The web page organization is helping in identification of the bacterial strains since in the GenBank and other available comprehensive databases the identification is difficult to be achieved considering the large predominance of 16S rRNA deposited sequences of a large number of phytoplasmas having nearly identical sequence that cannot help in the identification for this reason. Micropropagation of phytoplasma strains maintained since 1992 at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna (Italy) is also linked to the web site that allows the users to require alive strains available as periwinkle micropropagated and both extracted DNAs and/or lyophilized infected materials. Identified extracted DNAs of phytoplasmas in the original host plants is also available upon request.