Marginal Chlorosis, a New Disease of Strawberries Associated with a Bacteriumlike Organism. J. G. Nourrisseau, Station de Pathologie Végétale, INRA, Centre de Recherche de Bordeaux, B.P. 81, 33883 Villenave d'Ornon cedex, France. M. Lansac, and M. Garnier. Station de Recherches Fruitières, and Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, INRA, Centre de Recherche de Bordeaux, B.P. 81, 33883 Villenave d'Ornon cedex, France. Plant Dis. 77:1055-1059. Accepted for publication 9 March 1993. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1993. DOI: 10.1094/PD-77-1055.

A new disease of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), marginal chlorosis, was observed in Spain in 1984 and in France in 1988. It affected all strawberry cultivars, and very high percentages of infection were recorded in some areas. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of a bacteriumlike organism (BLO) in the phloem of affected strawberry plants but not in that of asymptomatic plants. The BLO was 0.2–0.27 µm in diameter and 4 µm in length. The BLO could also be detected by staining with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. No reaction was observed when monoclonal antibodies specific to the citrus greening BLO or DNA probes were used to test strawberry materials with symptoms of marginal chlorosis.