Association of Mycoplasmalike Organisms with Rice Orange Leaf in the Philippines. H. Hibino, International Rice Research Institute, P.O. Box 933, Manila, Philippines. G. B. Jonson, and F. C. Sta. Cruz. International Rice Research Institute, P.O. Box 933, Manila, Philippines. Plant Dis. 71:792-794. Accepted for publication 15 March 1987. Copyright 1987 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-71-0792.

Thirty four rice plants showing symptoms typical of rice orange leaf disease were collected at several locations in the Philippines. Extracts of each plant were serologically tested, and 17 plants that did not contain either of rice tungro spherical virus or rice tungro bacilliform virus served as orange leaf disease sources. The leafhopper Recilia dorsalis recovered the orange leaf disease agent from 13 of 17 plants tested, and rice seedlings infected with each isolate showed similar symptoms. The agent was transmitted by this leafhopper in a persistent manner, and its incubation periods in the leafhopper and rice plant were 15–33 and 10–28 days, respectively. Electron microscopy revealed association of mycoplasmalike organisms with the 13 isolates tested. No similar organisms were observed in uninoculated rice plants.