Isolation of the Corn Stunt Spiroplasma from Maize in Florida. M. J. Davis, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research and Education Center, 3205 S.W. College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale 33314. J. H. Tsai, and R. E. McCoy, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research and Education Center, 3205 S.W. College Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale 33314. Plant Dis. 68:600-604. Accepted for publication 31 January 1984. Copyright 1984 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-68-600.

An anaerobic atmosphere with 5% CO₂, when compared with an aerobic atmosphere, improved growth of the corn stunt spiroplasma in broth cultures. Upon primary isolation from corn, the maximum titer of spiroplasmas was greater in all media when the cultures were anaerobically incubated than when aerobically incubated. The frequency of successful primary isolations of spiroplasmas from field maize in south Florida was also improved by anaerobic incubation, especially when the C-3G medium was used. Spiroplasma strains representing field collections from 1978 through 1982 were readily obtained from plants showing corn stunt symptoms and inconsistently obtained from plants with maize bushy stunt symptoms. All strains were identified as the corn stunt spiroplasma on the bases of serology, electrophoresis patterns of cellular proteins in polyacrylamide gels, and pathogenicity to sweet corn.