Oksal, HDAydın, SBaran, MEmir, CKaranfil, ABozdoğan, OlcaySipahioglu, HM2022-03-092022-03-092021Oksal, H. D., Aydin, S., Baran, M., Emir, C., KARANFIL, A., Bozdoğan, O., & Sipahioglu, H. M. (2021). Persimmon (Diospyros kaki l.) and johnsongrass [sorghum halepense (l.) pers.] are new natural hosts of peach latent mosaic viroid. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 19(6), 4629-4639.1589-1623https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12899/563Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) naturally infects stone fruits worldwide. Here, we report the first detection of PLMVd in persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) and a weed Johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.]. Samples corresponding to 12 persimmon specimens and weeds nearby the persimmon trees were collected from a germplasm collection plot in Malatya (Turkey). Total RNAs were isolated using a silica-based method and the complete viroid genome was amplified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). From these samples, PLMVd was detected in 7 of the 12 persimmons and in Johnsongrass revealing 8 new sequence variants. Multiple alignment and phylogenetic analyses revealed that identified persimmon and Johnsongrass isolates clustered only with PLMVd-walnut isolates previously identified from same locality. The nucleotide sequences of PLMVd persimmon and Johnsongrass isolates showed 96.71-99.11% similarity with the PLMVd isolates detected in different fruit crops in the world. A single specific mutation identified in two PLMVd persimmon variants (-TH2 and-TH10) effectively changed the predicted secondary structure of the agent. The identification and the genetic analyses of PLMVd variants in persimmon and Johnsongrass confirm that the agent is a ubiquitous and genetically variable viroid that infects cultivated fruit and weeds worldwide.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessPLMVdRT-PCRTurkeyweedpersimmonidentificationArticle19646294639Q3WOS:000725485200028Q4